Potter, Emrys, and Pendragon
by SuperSherlockedGallifreyan
Summary: In the middle of the Battle of Hogwarts, two unlikely men show up wanting to help Harry Potter and the Order. But who are these men? What are they hiding, and can Harry trust them? Also, what is Voldemort planning?
1. Chapter 1: Destiny Begins

**Author's Note: This is my first fanfic. Right now, I am off to a rocky start, but I promise to try and make it better as the story progresses. I accept any and all constructive criticism so please read and review. Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Merlin.**

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Merlin winced at the sight before him. Times may have changed and yet violence due to magic continues. Even when he was back in Camelot, all those countless centuries ago, there was war revolving around magic users. Back then it was those without magic against those with. Now it was between magic users themselves over the crazy idea of blood-purity. The world around Merlin may have changed, but he remained the same, not even ageing a minute since that fateful moment.

_At least I'm not alone_, Merlin told himself as he glanced at the man beside him.

After Arthur had been stabbed by the Excalibur, Merlin took him to the Lake of Avalon crying out to the Old Religion to save Arthur. Then, Morgana showed up. Merlin slew her Morgana with Arthur's sword, and the Old Religion granted him his wish, but there was a cost. Everyone thought both Arthur and Merlin were dead and they were forbidden to interfere with the Earth's events. Their time was up for the moment and it wasn't their place to interfere until the right time presents itself.

Over time Arthur began to accept Merlin as a warlock, but he hated not being allowed to help Camelot or Gwen, who now ruled alone. They were both proud of Gwen as she got rid of the anti-magic laws and welcomed all into Camelot. Arthur, though unhappy, stayed in the shadows with Merlin.

After Gwen died of old age, and Camelot subsequently fell, Arthur went over the edge. Blaming Merlin and his magic for everything, he left. For years Merlin searched for Arthur before deciding to stop and wait for Arthur to come to him when he was ready. A hundred years passed and Merlin silently watched as magic changed. With the Old Religion declining, a new form of magic emerged where wizards channeled their magic through a stick that contained a magical core. This new magic was far weaker than that of the Old Religion, but Merlin grew to accept these stick wielding wizards. The only thing that he didn't like was having to get a wand himself in order to not appear suspicious to others. He quickly found out that his wand had to be that of the Old Religion like himself. All other wands couldn't cope with his strong magic and simple blew up. In the end, Merlin made himself a wand out of wood from a tree on the Isle of the Blessed with a dragon scale provided by Kilgharrah as the magical core. Though he didn't like to use it, Merlin fit in.

It wasn't until Merlin meet four friends with a wild ambition that the Old Religion permitted him to act. He befriended and helped the four, Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin, build the first ever school for magic users, Hogwarts. Merlin became the fifth Founder of Hogwarts, the Founder that no one would know about as he made the four promise to keep him a secret. Merlin wanted no credit for any of the work that he did at Hogwarts.

There was still no sign of Arthur until Hogwarts was about to make it's grand opening for the school year. During the years that Arthur was away, he had came to terms with Gwen's death and the fall of Camelot. He also realized that he was wrong in blaming Merlin. He wanted to make it up to Merlin and that was when he found out that he had magic too. After Arthur found out, he spent years teaching himself the Old Religion with every scrap of information that he could find in hopes that when he reconciled with Merlin, the man would accept his apology. Merlin did forgive Arthur and together they delved into learning about the new magic that was now prevalent. Merlin found that Arthur also could only wield a wand that was of the Old Religion and made Arthur a wand similar to his own.

Five years flew by as Merlin and Arthur taught students at Hogwarts and learned as much as they could themselves about magic from Rowena's massive book collection. But all too soon, they had to leave. The Old Religion forced them to pull back into the shadows. They could only watch again even as Salazar became at odds with the others and was ordered to leave.

Centuries passed and all Merlin and Arthur had were each other. They continuously looked for ways to keep themselves from boredom. Together they attended Hogwarts many times by de-ageing themselves and only going back when there were no staff around that would remember them from before. They also taught at Hogwarts a few times and ran a store in Diagon Alley every now and then.

They sat by and watched as Voldemort rose to power only to act one night when he tried to kill Harry Potter. Using the power of Lily Potter's sacrifice, Merlin was able to put a protection charm on Harry which saved Harry's life and temporarily stopped Voldemort. After Voldemort's disappearance, it was back to doing nothing. Although, they tried their best to indirectly help Harry by magically unlocking his cupboard door so that he could sneak to get some food, helping Vernon forget about something magical that Harry had done, and giving Harry a bit of added luck when encountering something dangerous at school.

Once Voldemort gained his body back things changed. The Old Religion gave them some opportunities to directly help and they took full advantage of them. Both Merlin and Arthur single-handedly fought off many dementors to prevent them from getting to Harry the following summer saving him from all but two dementors. Arthur convinced a herd of centaurs to save Harry and Hermione from Umbridge. Merlin pulled Sirius out of the Veil in the Ministry of Magic. Also, they fought off many Death Eaters that were attacking innocents. Despite all this, they still wished that they could help more.

Then after all these years bound to inactivity with the occasional room for some direct interference, Merlin knew. It was time. He felt it strongly and deep within himself as if the Old Religion had hit him with a shock wave that reverberated through his entire being. _Your destiny is now Emrys and Pendragon. Help Harry Potter. Stop Voldemort._ A quick glance over to Arthur told him that he felt it too.

"We will." Merlin's words seemed to kick Arthur into action.

"We need to split up. I'll go find Harry while you find Voldemort. I know it is Harry's destiny to kill him, but we can at least do something to get him to stop the attack."

"Something is wrong," Merlin said looking at the battle around them sensing that something was off.

"What do you mean?" Merlin saw Arthur look around desperately trying to find what it is that he missed. It only took seconds before he caught it. "Not all of the Death Eaters are fighting."

Arthur was right. Although most of the Death Eaters were immersed in casting spells at those who decided to defend Hogwarts, a few ran past the fighting with determined looks upon their searching faces.

"They're looking for something."

Arthur nodded his head in agreement. "But what are they are looking for?" Merlin was at a loss for what it was that the Death Eaters were trying to find.

Arthur turned back to Merlin. "Alright. New plan. I'll still go and try to find Harry, and you go and figure out what it is that they are looking for. Whatever it is, I have a bad feeling about it."

It was Merlin's turn to nod his head in agreement. "Same here."

Arthur gave Merlin a firm pat on the shoulder as a silent 'good luck' before he was off sprinting through the halls in search of Harry while randomly throwing spells at some of the Death Eaters that he passed by.

Merlin took a deep breath. After all these years, the time had finally come. His destiny was upon him. _This time_, he decided, _he would not fail_. With a look of grim determination on his face, Merlin raced off.

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**Thanks for reading! There will be more chapters to come.**

**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**

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**Updated: 12/17/14**

**Beta Reader: les-revolutionnaires**


	2. Chapter 2: Merlin's Search

**Author's Note:**

**This will not be a Merthur fanfic. The only pairings that I intend to include in this story are the ones that are canon for both Harry Potter and Merlin.**

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Merlin was out of breath. Even with all the training that Arthur forced him to do, he was only human. Not only was Merlin running in an effort to keep up with the large form of the Death Eater in front of him, he was also firing off multiple spells at the Death Eaters that were attacking students (some of which looked way to young to even be participating in the fighting). He skidded to a halt as he came around a corner and saw Remus Lupin and Sirius Black surrounded by Death Eaters desperately trying to fight them off. The odds didn't look to be in favor of the former. Merlin really liked both of them. Hell, he be brought Sirius back from the dead and often found himself looking after Remus during the full moon. (The man reminded Merlin of Freya in that Remus couldn't help the monster that he would sometimes be force to transform into).

Giving one last look at the fleeing figure of the Death Eater he had been following in hopes of finding answers, Merlin set his mind to helping the duo. With lightning fast speed, Merlin took down three Death Eaters allowing Remus and Sirius to finish off the last two. Once all the Death Eaters were down, the two turned to face Merlin, gawking at the sight of him. Merlin inwardly cursed himself. He shouldn't have displayed so much power and speed.

"How did you manage to take so many of them down that fast," Sirius asked. One glimpse of Remus' face told Merlin that he too was thinking the same thing. Shit.

Merlin, still trying to catch his breath from all the running, attempted to down play what he just did. "All of them were too busy attacking you two that they didn't notice me. It wasn't really that impressive."

"I'm not so sure about that," Sirius muttered.

"I would love to stay and chat some more, but there is a battle going on, and I have to run." Merlin didn't want to stick around in case they decided to ask any more questions, besides, he needed to figure out what the Death Eaters were looking for.

Merlin took off into the direction that the Death Eater had been headed. He ran turning down random corridors hoping that he would have a bit of luck and actually find him. Luck was not on his side. Merlin couldn't find him anywhere, but he did find two red heads at odds with a group of Death Eaters. Merlin recognized them as two of the Weasleys and the lead Death Eater as the current Minister of Magic.

"Hello, Minister! Did I mention I'm resigning?" The eldest of the two Weasleys was the one who spoke. Merlin was unsure of which one he was. Percy maybe?

His thoughts were cut off as the other Weasley, the one he recognized as one of the twins, spoke. "You're joking, Perce! You are actually joking! I don't think I've heard you joke since you were..."

Merlin saw the attack before the spell was finished being cast. Merlin quickly raised his left hand, his right holding his forgotten wand. "_Sclidan_!" Merlin's voice was lost in the sound of the explosion, but his spell worked. While the hall around them was severely damaged, the two Weasleys were unharmed. Shocked but unharmed.

Both looked at him in awe before more spells were cast at them by the Death Eaters forcing them to counteract. Merlin, now remembering to use his wand, joined in. Minutes later, when all of the Death Eater had been taken care of, the younger of the two turned to him.

"Thank you."

"It was nothing really." Merlin was once again trying to downplay his magical abilities.

Percy disagreed, though. "Nothing really?! You probably just saved mine and Fred's lives! And that shielding spell you used, I've seen nothing like it!"

"You were amazing," Fred practically shouted because he was so impressed.

Merlin shrugged, uncomfortable with the praise and attention he was receiving. "I was just trying to help."

"Thanks for that! I'd hate to imagine what would have happened if you weren't here." Fred nodded, agreeing to what Percy had said.

"Well, I'm glad that I was here to help. I... There he is!" Relief and excitement rushed into Merlin as he spotted the Death Eater he was looking for. Said man, having just turned into the hall, was quickly making his way down the hall in the opposite direction seemingly oblivious to the three of them standing there.

"Sorry! I have to go," Merlin shouted over his shoulder as he ran to catch up to the Death Eater who now turned into a different hall way. Merlin ran as fast his body would allow, not even turning to look back was he heard Fred's diminishing voice saying something about how weird what had just happened was. Merlin was extremely thankful that neither noticed that he didn't use a wand for the shield spell. He also reminded himself that he needed to make sure to always use his wand. He wasn't ready for everyone to know his true identity yet, and using wandless magic wouldn't help keep his secret.

It wasn't long until the Death Eater ahead reached his destination. Merlin slowed to a stop and watched as the Death Eater joined two others and walked up the stairs towards the headmaster's office.

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**I hope you enjoyed the second chapter of Potter, Emrys, and Pendragon. The next chapter will feature Arthur and his search of Harry, and I will post it as soon as I can.**

**Please review. Constructive criticism is welcome.**

**Thanks for reading**

**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**

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**Scildan - to shield/protect/guard/defend**

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**Updated: 12/22/14**

**Beta Reader: les-revolutionnaires**


	3. Chapter 3: Arthur in the Shrieking Shack

**Author's Note:**

**I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who has written a review. Thank you all so much!**

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Arthur ran through the halls of Hogwarts dodging spells and people alike. He knew he had to find Harry, but he had no idea where to even begin to look for him, so he just ran through the castle looking everywhere. He was running through one hall when he heard a voice that made Arthur have an idea. Arthur did a scan of the area and quickly found the owner of the voice he had heard; Peeves. The poltergeist was having the time of his life attacking the Death Eaters by dropping what appeared to be Snargaluff pods on them.

"Peeves," Arthur whispered harshly trying to get the poltergeist's attention. Peeves rapidly turned around getting ready to throw at whoever called his name but instantly dropped in when he saw that it was Arthur.

"You haven't seen Potter anywhere have you, Peeves? Harry Potter."

"Peeves has just saw wee Potter. He was with the other two that he does trouble with. They were talking about the Shrieking Shack."

"Ha! Thanks Peeves! And, uh, keep up the good work here."

Peeves straightened up to give Arthur a soldiers solute before continuing his work on wreaking havoc on the Death Eaters. Arthur rushed away, thanking the stars for Peeves. He had known the poltergeist since the opening of Hogwarts. Although, they didn't get off on the right foot (Peeves releasing a multitude of bugs in Arthur's sleeping chambers), over time, they grew to have a friendship of sorts. It also helped that Peeves respected (and somewhat feared) Merlin with his immense magical power, and knew that Arthur and Merlin were close enough to be brothers, so some of the respect drifted over to Arthur. Both Arthur and Merlin had often participated in a prank or game with Peeves to alleviate boredom during their many attendances at Hogwarts, and Peeves sometimes helped them sneak around at night. It has always helped to have Peeves on their side, especially now.

Arthur burst into a room that had a window facing towards the Shrieking Shack and looked out hoping to spot Potter. Sure enough, he saw three figures running to the Whomping Willow and disappear into the secret passageway the Arthur knew would will lead them into the Shrieking Shack.

Not wanting to waste time by running all the way to the Shack, Arthur took a deep breath and closed his eyes before saying, "_Bedyrne ús! Astýre ús þanonweard!_".

When Arthur open his eyes, he smiled to himself. He now stood in a room on the top floor of the Shrieking Shack. Hearing muffled voices below, Arthur silently made his way to the lower floor so that he could make out what was being said. The first words that Arthur could coherently hear was Voldemort's order for Nagini to kill.

Thinking the worst, Arthur quickened his pace halting when he found a door to the room he heard the voices come from. Silently he cracked open the door to peer in to see Voldemort and his snake leave. Glancing over to the form on the floor slumping again the wall, he recognized it to be Snape. Relief washed over Arthur before he felt a stab a guilt. He was relieved that it was Snape and not Harry that was attacked, but he felt guilty for the relief because he knew that Snape, despite his flaws, was a good guy. Arthur was about to open the door to go help Snape, who was still alive, but was beaten to it when Harry emerged from under his invisibility cloak. Arthur remained where he was watching as Snape told Harry to take the silvery substance pouring out of him. It wasn't until the three teens left after Snape stilled that Arthur went into the room. Figuring that he could find Harry again but only this was his only chance to save a man who, in his opinion, deserved to be saved, Arthur set to work.

Arthur dropped to his knees beside Snape's fallen form and felt for a pulse. Snape was unconscious, but Arthur could swear that he felt a pulse. It was extremely weak, but it was there. Placing his hand on Snape's chest he summoned as much magic as he could. Merlin said that he once did this to Arthur after he was poisoned by a brainwashed Gwen. Arthur hoped that the spell would work on Snape and he had enough magic to even do the spell properly.

Taking a breath, Arthur spoke, "_Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare mid þam sundorcræftas þære ealdaþ æ!_"

Arthur collapsed to the ground utterly exhausted. He had never attempted to even try spells nearly as powerful as the one he just did, and it took just about every ounce of energy that he had to do it. On all four with his head pressed to the ground, Arthur struggled to remain conscious. A minute had passed, and Arthur could feel himself regain a trickle of strength, not much but enough to stay awake. Despair crept into his heart, though. He hadn't heard any movement from Snape, nothing to show that Arthur had succeeded.

All of his despair vanished from existence when he heard a confused voice. "Who are you," it asked.

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**Hope you like the chapter!**

**Please review. Constructve criticism is welcome.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**

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**Bedyrne ús! Astýre ús þanonweard! - teleportation spell**

**Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare mid þam sundorcræftas þære ealdaþ æ! - healing spell (combats poison and restarts the heart)**

***All Old Religion spells that will be in this fanfic have been used in Merlin.**

****The Merlin wikia website is my source for the definition and spelling of all Old Religion spells in this chapter as well as future chapters.**

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**Updated: 12/22/14**

**Beta Reader: les-revolutionnaires**


	4. Chapter 4: Snape

**Author's Note:**

**Here is the next chapter.**

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Snape opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. _Why aren't I dead?_

His eyes drifted across the battered room and landed on someone beside him. A young man was down on his knees and elbows and looked to be on the verge of passing out with his forehead pressed to the ground. It occurred to Snape that this young man was the reason that he was alive right now, which only served to confuse him even further. Snape had no idea who this young man was. He had thick blond hair, strongly build body, and looked around twenty, probably just got out of school a couple years ago, but Snape didn't recognize him from any of his past classes. He had muggle clothing on, so the possibility of the mystery man being a Death Eater was tossed out the window. But, if he was against Voldemort, then why did he save Snape. Everyone believed Snape to be with the enemy.

Also, Snape knew that he had to have either been already dead or on the brink of death when this young man intervened, meaning that some seriously powerful magic must have been involved. How this boy accomplished such a feat was beyond Snape. The more Snape thought, the more questions arose until he finally decided to get some answers.

"Who are you?"

At first the young man gave no indication of hearing Snape's question, then Snape could see a smile slowly begin the stretch across his face.

"Actually, I have a question for you," the young man said hoarsely while remaining in his bent down position with his eyes closed. "You're a double agent spying on an actual Dark Lord, who has a monstrous snake and could kill you at any time he wants with no remorse, and you don't think to carry around any anti-venom?"

Snape was stunned silent, his mind reeling from all the had stranger said. Somehow this stranger knew what Snape was truly doing. He knew which side Snape was actually spying for. The only man who should have known that was Dumbledore. But Dumbledore swore that the secret would remain between them.

The young man's eyes remain closed as he slowly sat up. "You're even a potions master!"

Snape, who was still utterly surprised at the knowledge this man had on him, kept his voice steady and face blank. "You seem to know quite a bit about me, and yet, I know nothing of you."

When the young man opened his eyes and turned toward him, Snape was taken aback even further. The young man's eyes contraindicated his youthful body. His eyes, though currently filled with undeniable relief, looked as if they belonged to an old man.

"I'm Alden. I know you don't know me, but I knew Dumbledore."

"If you were so close with Dumbledore, then why did he never mention you?" Snape's suspicion was high. Snape got the feeling that Alden was a trustworthy person, but he wasn't a double agent for nothing; he could also sense something was off.

"Look. I know you have lot of questions and don't have any reason to trust me, but there is a battle going on. The interrogation can wait at the moment. We need to move."

Alden shakily stood up and pulled a brown wand out of his pocket. He then held out his arm for Snape, who also stood, to take hold of. Snape gave a doubtful look at Alden's swaying body.

"Perhaps it would be wisest if I were to be the one to perform the side along apparition. I have no desire to be splinched."

Alden gritted his teeth. "I am perfectly fine. I can apparate."

"Don't be foolish. You can barely stand up."

Alden looked as though he wanted to argue some more, but he painfully swallowed his pride and begrudgingly took Snape's outstretched arm.

"Where to exactly?"

"Your office will probably be best."

Alden fell back down to the floor soon after Snape apparated them to the middle of the Headmaster's office. The place was ransacked, but appeared empty. Objects and papers littered the floor, but with a flick of Snape's wand, they righted themselves into their proper place.

"Alden?"

Snape whipped his head around to see yet another unknown young man who he swore wasn't there a moment ago. He was tall and lanky with messy raven black hair and deep blue eyes that were similar to Alden's in the fact that they too appeared old.

Snape back looked down at Alden, who was still on the floor. "You know him?"

"Yes, that's my cousin," he answered giving the other young man an odd look. "What are you doing in here, Michael?"

"I followed some Death Eaters up here."

Snape instantly was on guard with his wand pointed out as he scanned for any Death Eaters. If he missed seeing Michael, Snape wondered if he missed anyone else. He had no idea if all of the Death Eaters knew about Voldemort turning on him, but he didn't want to take that chance.

"Don't worry," Michael said. "They aren't here anymore. They, um, just left, and I doubt they'll return."

Snape was given little time to contemplate how suspicious that sounded before Michael spoke again, this time to Alden. "I did find out what they are looking for."

Snape's curiosity perked up, and it appeared the same could be said for Alden. Snape wasn't aware that Voldemort sent out some of his followers to search for something. How did these two know?

"What is it," Alden asked.

"It's a crystal from the crystal caves."

"Like the Crystal of Neahtid," Alden asked.

"Exactly."

Snape thought back. He remembered Voldemort was looking for a crystal a few years back, but he was never told what that crystal did or why he wanted it. Snape also hadn't heard any news about the search for the crystal recently, so never thought anything of it. He figured that the crystal wouldn't be found. Voldemort had obviously somehow found significant evidence that the crystal is somewhere in Hogwarts, though.

Snape had a heard of the Crystal of Neahtid before but has long since forgotten what it was precisely. _Although_, he reasoned. _If Voldemort wants it this badly, if can't be good._

A chime rang out, tearing Snape away from his thoughts. He knew what it meant. "Someone is coming up the stairs."

It didn't take long for Michael to help Alden up, so they could all hide. Snape concealed himself in the shadows along with the two and prepared himself to attack if need be. The door opened slowly, and Snape silently cursed himself for forgetting.

Harry Potter walked in holding the vial containing Snape's memories.

If you were confused reading this chapter, the reason why Arthur and Merlin were referred to Alden (Arthur) and Michael (Merlin) was because this was this chapter was from Snape's view and those are the names he knows them by. Depending on whose point of view the narration is looking through, will determine what they will be called outside of the dialogue. Hopefully that won't be confusing for you.

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**Thanks for reading!**

**Please review. Constructive criticism is welcome.**

**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**

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**Updated: 1/4/15**

**Beta Reader: les-revolutionnaires**


	5. Chapter 5: Answers

**Author's Note:**

**I want to thank the Guest reviewer for pointing out my spelling error in the last chapter. To remedy the issue, I have since gone back and hopefully fixed all of the errors. If anyone else notices and spelling or grammar mistakes I have made, feel free to comment on it, and I will try by best to fix those as well.**

**Also, school is going to start up soon for me, so it may take me longer to update. I will try to update as fast as I can, but I'm going to have to spend a lot of my time studying if I want to pass my engineering classes. I promise that I will not abandon this fanfic, though.**

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Merlin stood absolutely still as he watched Harry make his way into the room. Merlin was really happy that he remembered to call Arthur by his fake name when he saw both him and Snape apparate into the room. But, right now, so many questions raced through his head. What is Harry doing in here? Why is Arthur with Snape? What is wrong with Arthur? Why is Voldemort after the crystal?

The first of Merlin's questions was answered when Harry walked over to the pensive. Harry came here to look at some memories. But, why?

Merlin looked over at Snape. Merlin knew Snape was very skilled in keeping his emotions and thoughts to himself, a trait that served him well as a double spy. Snape's face rarely displayed anything. But, Merlin, too, was skilled in keeping things hidden. It was a skilled he quickly learned when he first went to Camelot, and he honed down to a fine art over the centuries. So with that, Merlin was able to pick up on the minute details that others would never see. What Merlin saw on Snape's face told him that Snape knew what Harry was looking at.

Time passed painfully slow before Harry finally left. Since Voldemort's announcement, Merlin knew Harry enough to know the he is going to go face Voldemort, but he figured he had enough time to get some answers before he followed.

Merlin walked out of his hiding place and turned around to face Snape. "Who's memories was he looking at?"

Snape's eyes widened just a hair telling Merlin that he was shocked. Snape was probably wondering how Merlin knew that he knew. "They were mine."

"Showing?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Fine. Don't. Just answer me this: Harry is going to sacrifice himself to Voldemort, right?"

Snape's face hardened. "That's the way it has to be," he said slowly.

Merlin nodded and now focused his attention on Arthur. "What did you do?"

"I'm fine," he said dismissively.

"Sure you are," Merlin said sarcastically. "You're not having trouble staying awake at all."

"Shut up, Michael!"

Snape intervened before Merlin could say the insult that formed on his lips. "He saved me. I was attacked by Voldemort's snake, and Alden here healed me. What spell did you use again? It must have been something extremely powerful if it depleted your magical core to such an extent."

Merlin turned back to Arthur and raised an eyebrow not unlike how Gaius frequently did to him back in Camelot. Arthur cringed a little.

"Remember way back when Gwen wasn't in her right mind and gave me that goblet?"

Merlin understood exactly what spell Arthur was referring to. That spell was a really powerful one, and for Arthur to complete it, it drained him. No wonder he was having troubles. Since Snape was here, Merlin couldn't rip Arthur a new one for being such an idiot, so he just nodded but not before giving Arthur a look telling him that they were going to discuss it later.

Merlin quickly put on his usual cheery face and clapped his hand together. "Okay, here's what's going to happen. I'm going to go help stop Voldemort. You two are going to stay here and rest."

Both opened their mouths to argue Merlin's decision, but Merlin raised his hand to silence them. "You," he said pointing to Snape," may have just been magically healed, but you need some rest for you to fully heal."

"And you," Merlin said pointing to Arthur, "don't even look like you could make it down the stairs. So, you both should go lie down somewhere."

Neither made a move. Merlin made an exasperated noise before lowering his eyes so that Snape couldn't see them flash gold as he whispered," _Swefe nu_."

Both Snape and Arthur instantly fell asleep. With another flash of gold, they landed softly on two mats. First making sure that they were out of view so that no one could simply walk in and find them, Merlin set off to go find Harry.

Merlin jogged quickly through the castle and out onto the ground, not slowing when he entered the Forbidden Forest. He knew exactly where Harry was going. He just hoped that he would get there in time to ensure Harry's safety. Merlin quickly made his way to the edge of the clearing and spotted Harry. Keeping out of sight, Merlin watched silently as Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it at Harry.

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**I hope you liked the chapter. Let me know if you think that the characters aren't acting like themselves, and I will try to adjust.**

**Please leave a review. Constructive criticism is welcome.**

**Thanks for reading**

**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**

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**Swefe nu - sleeping enchantment**

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**Updated: 1/27/15**

**Beta Reader: les-revolutionnaires**


	6. Chapter 6: Harry's Sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry it took so long but here is the next chapter.**

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Merlin did nothing as Voldemort pointed his wand at Harry. Merlin knew all about the horcrux inside Harry and knew that it had to be destroyed. Merlin also knew that if Voldemort himself were to kill Harry, that the horcrux would die, but Harry would survive. So no, Merlin did not come here to stop Voldemort from using the killing curse on Harry, he came to ensure that Harry was safe if Voldemort realized that Harry actually stayed alive afterwards.

Even still, Merlin flinched as the green light flew out of Voldemort's wand and struck Harry, causing both Harry and Voldemort collapse to the ground at the same time. Merlin allowed a small smile stretch across his face. There was now only one horcrux left.

Also, with quick thinking, Merlin did something else. Just like he did the night of Lily Potter's dead, Merlin used the power of Harry's sacrifice and used it to protect those fighting to defend Hogwarts. Merlin's eyes flashed gold, and his smile grew bigger.

Now, Merlin just had to make sure that Harry remained safe until the opportune time for Harry to complete his destiny and kill Voldemort. He braced himself as Narcissa Malfoy walked over to Harry to check for signs of life. Merlin waited with baited breath as she bent down close to Harry. He was immensely relieved and sightly confuse when she confirmed Harry's death. Merlin knew Harry was alive. He even reached out with his magic just to be sure. _So, why did she lie?_

For good measure, Voldemort sent out several Cruciatus Curses. Merlin congratulated himself when he saw that they had no effect on Harry. His protection spell worked, even on Harry himself.

Merlin followed, at a good distance to the side, as Hagrid carried Harry back to Hogwarts. He felt sorry for the grief Hagrid felt, and Merlin wished that he could tell him that Harry wasn't really dead. But, to do that would be to also alert Voldemort and the Death Eaters also. So, Merlin did nothing but knew that Hagrid would find out soon enough.

Merlin stopped following when the centaurs came into view and Hagrid remarked on their cowardliness. The centaurs may respect him and Arthur, but they despised almost all other humans. Maybe Merlin could help convince them to fight. So, Merlin stayed back and approached the centaurs when Voldemort's group left the forest.

Marlin looked up at Bane who said, "They are humans, yet I feel ashamed, Emrys"

"So what are you going to do to fix that?" Merlin inquired.

Bane stayed silence, but Ronan spoke up raising his fist in the air. "We fight! Show them that the centaurs are still mighty"

Ronan's words were meet with agreement and weapons thrust up into the air. "We are not cowards!"

And with that, they raced off towards Hogwarts. Merlin ran too, but was quickly fell behind for he was not as fast as the four legged creatures. When, Merlin finally arrived at the castle, it was in chaos. The battle was on and stronger that ever. But, Merlin noticed with gleam in his eye that the Hogwarts defenders were not being greatly affected by the Death Eater's spells. The spell Merlin cast with Harry's sacrifice was working.

Merlin made his way into the Great Hall firing off random spells with his wand at many Death Eaters while also looking for Harry. He didn't see Harry anywhere. _Did anyone even know that Harry was still alive?_

His thoughts were cut off when he heard someone yell, "Not my daughter, you bitch!"

Merlin turned to see Molly Weasley duel Bellatrix Lestrange and kill her. The victory was short lived when Voldemort cried out in deep fury and aimed his want at Mrs. Weasley. Merlin quickly knocked Voldemort back as someone else cast a strong shield charm was cast to protect Mrs. Weasley. Spinning around, Merlin saw Harry emerge out from under an invisibility cloak. _No wonder I couldn't find him anywhere_, Merlin thought to himself.

Voldemort looked incredibly shocked at the sight of Harry. But an evil smile began to take form as Voldemort glanced away from Harry, looking at a Death Eater standing in the entrance way to the Great Hall. The Death Eater held up a large crystal before quickly apparating away. Merlin mentally cursed, especially when he turned back to Voldemort who now looked triumphant.

Voldemort stared at Harry, a cold glint in his eyes. "You may be still alive, Harry Potter, but you haven't won. The future belongs to me now, and I can assure you that you won't be in it much longer."

Before Merlin, let alone anyone else, could react, Voldemort, along with the rest of the Death Eaters, appartated away at the same time. The entire hall took on a state of shock, except Harry who screamed out in rage. Merlin understood and felt the same. He too was hoping that it would all be over now. _But, when is a destiny ever easy?_

Merlin turned around and headed back to the Headmaster's office hoping to wake up Arthur, so they could plan their next move.

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**I hoped you liked it. Please leave a review. Constructive criticism is welcome.**

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**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**

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**Updated: 2/18/15**

**Beta Reader: les-revolutionnaires**


	7. Chapter 7: The Aftermath Meeting

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry it has taken so long to update. My life has been super hectic with school work and a family emergency. Please don't be mad at me. But, here is the next chapter.**

**P.S. To try and make up for the long delay, I have made this chapter a bit longer than the previous chapters. Enjoy.**

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Harry was beyond angry. Actually the word angry couldn't even begin to describe how he was feeling. It seemed as though everything was spiraling downward, and it was becoming difficult to comprehend everything that was going on. Snape was good all this time, but now he is dead, killed by Voldemort. Voldemort was supposed to be dead now, but he left for some reason. Why did Voldemort leave? Why did he give up this battle? Sure his side was starting to lose, but he isn't the type to just abandon his mission. So there must have been something more important to cause Voldemort to leave. _But what?_

Harry's thoughts were cut off when Ron and Hermione ran up and pulled him into a bone crushing group hug.

"Don't you ever dare doing that again, Harry," Hermione yelled at him as she punched him arm harshly.

"Yeah, mate. You had us worried sick," Ron chimed in.

Harry inwardly cringed, his angry slowly dissipating as he thought about what it must have felt like for his friends. Even his family, Harry noted his gaze landing on Sirius who was walking determinedly toward him, Lupin and Tonks in tow.

"Listen," Harry said to the five. "I'm really sorry about what I did, but I'd rather wait until everyone is here before I explain myself. I really don't fancy repeating what happened.

"Well, it's a good thing that Kingsley is having an Order meeting up in Dumbledore's old office then," Sirius said putting and arm around Harry before guiding him out of the great hall.

They walked through the damaged halls in silence for a bit until Sirius spoke. "You don't happen to know who the black haired kid was who was running around during the battle? The one with super blue eyes, large ears, and amazing fast spell work."

Hermione's face scrunched thinking while Harry answered, "I don't know who you are talking about."

"He looked about you age, maybe a few years older at the most. He strikes me as someone who isn't easily forgettable even if he wasn't in your year."

"It weird, though, Sirius," Remus said. "I have no memory of him from when I taught here."

"Maybe he went to a different school," Ron offered.

"Well, whoever he is, I want to find him. He probably saved both mine and Remus' lives back there. He took down three Death Eaters like it was nothing, and then, he just raced off."

"That is something," Tonks said looking impressed.

The group made their way into the office to find that it was cram packed with people. All the Weasleys were there as well as Hagrid, Professor McGonagall, Slughorn, Sprout, and Flitwick. Kingsley, various Order members, and a few DA members, such as Neville and Luna, also filled the room. Everyone was sitting in chairs talking among themselves, but they all fell silent when Harry entered the room.

Hagrid was the first to move when he stood and pulled Harry into a large hug. "I thought yer were dead, Harry," he sobbed.

"I'm really sorry about that, but I had to do it."

"You had to do it," Mrs. Weasley questioned, her cheeks tear stained. "Why in Merlin's name do you think you had to do that?"

"It's a bit of a long story."

"And one that I'm sure everyone here would like to hear," Kingsley said conjuring up chairs for him and his friends to sit in. "Why don't you start from the beginning."

"Well, it starts a few years back." Harry then launched into the story about Voldemort's Horcruxes, shocking everyone at the number of them that Voldemort had created. The whole room was hanging on his every word as he recounted everything that happened during the past year he spent with Ron and Hermione all the way up to the battle. There were gasps of shock, cringes of horror, tears falling, and stares of disbelief as Harry spoke. There were a few interruptions, but they ceased after Harry told them that he would never get through the story if they continued asking questions. When Harry got to Snape's death, too few were sad. That was until Harry told them about his memories.

"When I watched Snape's memories," Harry said, "I found out that I also was a Horcrux."

"No," Mrs. Weasley chocked out.

"Dumbledore knew this, and knew that I had to be killed, so that the Horcrux would die. Voldemort had to kill me. That is why I went out into the forest."

"Dumbledore knew the entire time," Kingsley said sounding a bit horrified. "But, if Voldemort killed you, how are you still here?"

Harry took a deep breath and told them about seeing Dumbledore after being hit with the killing curse.

"That is just mental," Ron said.

"There's something else also," Harry said.

"What is it," Kingsley asked.

"It's about Snape and..." Harry faltered trying the best was to say what he wanted. He took a deep breath and told everyone about the rest of Snape's memories.

"You mean Snape was really on Dumbledore's side all this time!?" Harry was startled by McGonagals outburst, but quickly remembered their fight before the battle.

"And Voldemort killed him for no reason. Snape wasn't the master of the wand because he was killing him on Dumbledore's own wishes. Draco was the true master after he disarmed Dumbledore, but since I disarmed Draco, I now am the master."

"I wish I had known about Snape. Then, I would have never..." McGonagal couldn't finish her sentence as put her hand over her mouth as she tried to force back tears.

"It's nice to know that you care for me, Minerva," a deep voice said from the back of the office.

Everyone whipped their heads around to see the potion's master emerge from the shadows of the back of the office, alive and well.

Harry jumped up in utter disbelief. "But how?"

"You should be asking him that," Snape replied gesturing his head to his back left. Harry looked over and saw two more people that he hadn't noticed before. They were young and wearing muggle clothing. He saw that one of the two had raven black hair with large ears and came to the conclusion that this was who Sirius was asking about. While the blond haired man seemed vaguely familiar, but the black haired one looked completely unfamiliar.

"Hey! You're the one who did that shield charm that saved me and Percy," Fred said. "You brought Snape back to life as well?"

He black haired boy shook his head. "No, that was Alden who helped Snape," he said pointing to the blond guy next to him.

"And, Snape wasn't dead. He was still alive," Alden said.

"That still must have been quite a powerful spell," Kingsley said.

"Could have killed him," Harry heard the black haired guy mumble.

"I admit that it was a powerful spell and one that I probably shouldn't have used for it nearly left me unconscious, but it was the only way I could think to save him."

"No offence to Snape of anything, but why did you save him?" Ron asked earning a glare both from Snape and his mother.

"Michael and I knew Dumbledore. Dumbledore trusted Snape, and I trusted Dumbledore." The black haired guy, Michael, nodded his head along to what Alden said.

"You knew Dumbledore," Harry questioned. He was suspicious of the two even though his gut told him that they could be trusted.

"Yes, we did," Michael answered.

"How come he never mentioned you before," Harry asked. One glance at Kingsley's face told Harry that he was wondering the same thing.

"Well, it seems obvious that Dumbledore doesn't tell everyone everything. Just look at Snape," Hermione said giving Michael and Alden a strange look while they both smiled at the answer.

Kingsley seemed to decide that it was time to reassert control over the conversation. "While I believe that all of us here are interested in both of your stories, we have more pressing matters at hand. Why did Voldemort and his Death Eaters suddenly leave?"

"I believe these two have the answer to that," Snape drawled out, staring at Alden and Michael.

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**There's the seventh chapter. I hope you like it, and there are more chapters to come soon.**

**Please leave a review. Constructive criticism is more than welcome.**

**Thanks**

**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**

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**Updated: 3/2/15**

**Beta Reader: les-revolutionnaires**


	8. Chapter 8: Answering Questions

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you so much to everyone who left a review! You all are great! Also, thanks to all of my followers! I now have over 100 follows! Here is the next chapter to my Harry Potter/ Merlin crossover. I hope you like it.**

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Merlin's insides froze. He was never comfortable being at the center of attention with a large group like the one before him. He always preferred to being the person that worked behind the scenes. Back in Camelot, Merlin was able to do that quite easily. He was able to accomplish many things and saved Arthur's life frequently without anyone ever knowing. Sure at times he resented the fact that he never got credit for any of the things he did, but to be honest, Merlin felt more secure in the shadows. Arthur, on the other hand, was used to being at the center of attention with being a King once. He has always had an uncanny ability to remain calm in front of so many. And so, to Merlin's relief, it was Arthur who stepped up and answered.

"They left because the Death Eaters found what Voldemort was looking for. They realized that the battle wasn't in their favor anymore, so they retreated with their prize. It was a strategic retreat rather than an abandonment."

"What do you mean they found what they were looking for. I wasn't under the impression that they were searching for something, so how did you come across this information" Kingsley asked.

"We didn't really know right away, but we deduced it when we noticed some Death Eaters running around looking rather than fighting. Our theory was confirmed when Michael followed some Death Eaters up into this room and questioned them."

"So what is it that they were looking for," Kingsley asked seeming to not notice the fact that Merlin had handled himself against multiple Death Eaters alone.

"It was a crystal."

"Voldemort went to all of this trouble just to look for a crystal?"

"It's not an ordinary crystal. It's a crystal that has been taken from the crystal caves. The crystal can, well, Michael?"

Merlin took a deep breath to get his nerves under control making sure that he in no way outwardly conveyed what he felt on the inside.

"Crystals from the Crystal Caves are instruments of very powerful magic. They are of the Old Religion. Certain people, powerful people, have the ability to use it to gain knowledge on what is, what has been, and what is yet to be," Merlin said remembering the words of his old friend Kilgharrah.

"So it's like a crystal ball but not just for the future," Hermione said.

"Not, really. This kind of crystal is way more exact. It can show the user what is what is going to happen exactly, even down to the last detail." Old memories of when he himself looked into the crystals flooded his mind before he forcibly shoved them away.

"So Voldemort is going to use this crystal to change the future," Harry asked.

"Voldemort could do much more than that with the crystal, but he isn't powerful enough to use it."

"How is Voldemort not powerful enough? He is the most powerful Dark Wizard out there," Harry said.

"The crystals are of Old Religion magic. The magic that the Druids used which is incredibly more powerful than magic now. And they were only a few people back then that were powerful enough to use the crystal. I don't think anyone that is alive today can use the crystal," Merlin said half lying. Sure he himself could use the crystal, but they didn't need to know that. It would just cause too many questions that Merlin couldn't answer without them figuring out that he is not who he says he is.

"So it's useless to him," Kingsley asked.

"As long as he can't find anyone able to use it, then yes," Arthur said.

"What if he raises one of the dead people that can use the crystal. Voldemort himself practically came back from the dead. What's stopping him from doing that to someone else," Neville asked.

Merlin feared that as well. Voldemort has shown himself to be well versed in dark magic. There was no way of telling if Voldemort found a way to do exactly that. And, if Voldemort succeed in doing exactly that, who would be the one he would raise?

After a few minute of silence as everyone thought about Neville's words, Hermione broke the silence. "How do you know so much about the crystals?"

"From our, uh, Uncle," Arthur said quickly. Merlin guessed that Arthur was thinking along the same lines as himself and was momentarily thrown off by Hermione's question.

"Yeah, he was like a walking encyclopedia. And if he didn't know it himself, he was bound to have a book on it," Merlin added giving time for Arthur to regain himself.

"You two are brothers," Kingsley said at the same time as Mrs. Weasley questioned the 'was' part of what Merlin said.

"No, we are cousins. Gaius was the uncle to both of us, though. And, he did pass away not too long ago," Arthur said sticking to the story that he and Merlin had thought up beforehand. They tried to stick to their real life as closely as possible but made it so it would be less questionable.

"What about your parents," Mrs. Weasley asked next. "

They are no longer here either," Arthur said. "My mom, Michael's aunt, died giving birth to me. My father couldn't cope with her loss, so he passed on a few years after. I then went to live with Michael and his mother."

"My mother was his aunt," Merlin said picking up the story. "My father left when I was little, but my mother raised both me and Alden. She contracted an illness and passed away about five years ago. Gaius took us both in until he, well, you know."

"You poor boys," Mrs. Weasley said with tears springing up in her eyes.

"Did you attend Hogwarts," Lupin questioned.

"We did not," Arthur answered. We moved around quite frequently, so we were home schooled."

"Well, I think that is enough for one night," Kingsley said interrupting what, to Merlin, seemed like an interrogation. "Everyone is welcome to rest up here and then help with the efforts of cleaning up tomorrow."

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, no one argued. Slowly they began to file out of the office, many of whom finally felt the exhaustion that was creeping up just consume them. The younger ones separated themselves from the adults and headed towards the Gryffindor common room. Merlin was surprised when Harry told him and Arthur that they could come too and graciously accepted. Merlin got the feeling that Harry didn't fully trust him and Arthur and he hoped that he could change that. Once there each person collapsed into the first bed he or she could find and went straight to sleep. That was everyone except Merlin and Arthur.

"I think that went well," Arthur whispered.

"I don't think that they trust us, though," Merlin whispered back.

"Would you in their position?"

Merlin didn't respond seeing Arthur's point.

"Just give it time. We need to worry more about Voldemort."

"Do you think what Neville said was right. That he may be able to raise someone from the dead who has the ability to used the crystal?"

Arthur sighed. "I've seen a lot of things in my long life. It would not surprise me if he knew such a way. I just fear who it is he decides to bring back."

Only one name popped into Merlin's mind: Morgana.

Merlin curled up into the covers imagining what would happen if Morgana did come back. Nothing good could ever come with it. Eventually Merlin's exhaustion took over sending him into a fitful sleep.

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**Please leave a review. Constructive criticism is welcome.**

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**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**

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**Updated: 3/2/15**

**Beta Reader: les-revolutionnaire**s


	9. Chapter 9: Merlin and Hermione's Talk

**Replies to Reviews:**

**Tolleren: When Kilgharrah told Merlin that Morgana did not have the power to use the crystal, it was during season 2. At that time, Morgana hadn't mastered her magic. I am writing in the assumption that, since Morgana has come to a mastery level of her magic, she has the ability to use the crystal, whereas she didn't before. Good question, though!**

**The Crossover Addict: Thank you for pointing out my spelling mistake. Sometimes I miss a few things when I go back over to edit, so thanks for catching if for me.**

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**Author's Note:**

**Here is the next chapter. Thank you all for being so patient. I've been overloaded with school work as of late. But, here it is! I hope you enjoy it even though there isn't any real action in it.**

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Merlin was the first one to awaken. Unsure of what else to do, he headed down to the common room to sit on one of the plush red sofas. He sat there for awhile just thinking. Being in the Gryffindor common room surrounded by stone and all things red, he couldn't help but be reminded of Camelot. He missed everyone from Camelot. He missed Giaus, Gwen, and all of the knights. He would even go as far as saying that that he missed the head cook of Camelot, Audrey, who would always make a fuss every time she saw Merlin.

_It's not good to dwell on the past_, Merlin chided himself. He wasn't completely alone. He had Arthur. Merlin wasn't sure if it would have been possible for himself to stay sane after this long if he had to be alone. They kept each other sane. Sure they both had their ups and downs over the past millennium, but they grew even closer than they were back at Camelot. Now there were no secrets between them. They worked so flawlessly together and knew so much about each other that keeping secrets wasn't even a thought anymore. They still maintained a similar relationship as they had in Camelot with their constant playful banter, brotherly love, and willingness to protect one another no matter the cost.

Merlin shook his head smiling letting his mind go blank as he left the happiness of still having Arthur around wash over him. He sat there not moving for quite some time before a noise drew him back into the physical world. He turned around to see Hermione's tired eyes.

"Are you having trouble sleeping as well," she asked.

"No, I am usually a pretty early riser. It's been a habit that I have never really gotten rid of." _And, I've had it since Camelot._ "Are you having troubles?"

"It's... complicated," she said shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"Well, then why don't you sit down and tell me about it. Maybe you'll feel better afterwards. I'm a good listener."

Hermione hesitated, seeming at war with herself. After a few second she gave in and sat down next to Merlin on the couch. Merlin smiled a little on the inside. Merlin was pretty sure that when she hesitated, she was trying to determine if she trusted him enough to divulge what was troubling her. Since she sat down, and was apparently about to tell him, she either trusted him enough or was just desperate to get it off of her chest. He was hoping for the former, but suspected the latter was more true. Either way this could help start a form of trust between them.

Hermione took a deep breath before she began to talk. "Well, you see, I should be sleeping fine right now. I spent almost an entire year on the run and sleeping in a tent. Now, I'm back at Hogwarts. Things have settled for now, and Hogwarts is like home to me, but..." Hermione let her sentence hang as she stared down at her shoes.

"But, I reminds you of your other home. The one with you parents."

Hermione nodded her head yes, not looking up from her shoes.

"Well, that makes sense. You haven't been home or seen your parents in a long time. Trust me, I know how agonizing that feels. Why don't you go visit them now that you're not on the run anymore?"

"I can't. They're not there anymore. They've..."

"They're not dead, are they?" Merlin mentally kicked himself for how blunt he asked that.

Hermione looked up at him, her eyes watery and a bit shocked. "No, they're not dead. No, they are very much alive. It's just that, I sent them away, and they don't remember me." The last words were almost inaudible, but Merlin heard them all the same.

"What do you mean they don't remember you. You didn't."

Hermione curled in on herself. "I had to keep them safe. I couldn't risk Voldemort finding them and hurting them in order to try to get to me or Harry."

"So, you obliviated their memories of you and sent them to live somewhere else."

"Yes," Hermione said timidly, looking back at her shoes, tears threatening to spill any second.

Merlin thought about it, how much it must have hurt her to have done that but knowing that it was the best ways to keep them safe. He understood why she did it and how it must be tearing her apart inside. While on the run, she probably could have easily distanced herself from those feelings. But, now surrounded by friends and the feeling of home? She could no longer just push it away.

"It's okay," Merlin said comfortingly. Hermione looked up at him. "You did the right thing in keeping them safe. When this is all over, you can find them and undo the spell."

"What if they are get extremely mad at me when they find out what I've done? How could they forgive me."

"Because," Merlin said slowly, "they are your parents. They're going to love you no matter what. A parent's love in unconditional. Sure, they might get upset at first, but, in time, they will understand and forgive you."

"You think?" she asked, hope drifting into her eyes.

"I do." And, Merlin did believe in what he said. Even with all of the trouble Merlin caused when he was younger, his mother never loved him any less because of it. His father barely knew Merlin but loved him enough to die protecting him. Even Uther's love for Arthur was undeniable.

"Thank you, Michael," Hermione said wrapping him into a quick and tight hug.

"I told you that you would feel better," Merlin said with his signature goofy smile to lighten the mood.

Hermione let out a small laugh. "I should have never doubted you."

Merlin's smile grew even bigger. It seemed as though Merlin was now in Hermione's good graces. _Hopefully, I can keep it that way._

They weren't alone for much longer as Harry came down the steps. "There you both are! Pretty much everyone else is up, and we were thinking about trying the Great Hall to get some food."

"That sounds like a good plan. Who isn't up yet," Hermione asked.

"Your cousin," Harry said, looking at Merlin. "We tried to wake him, but he's still dead to the world. Should we keeping trying?"

"Nah," Merlin said waving him off. "He's probably going to be out for quite some time. That prat over-exerted himself yesterday."

Harry gave Merlin a strange look before saying that he was going to tell everyone to come down and disappeared up the stairs. Merlin cast a sideways glance at Hermione. She seemed to regain some of her suspicion, but not as much as Harry. Merlin shrugged it off for the time being and focused on the grumbling of his stomach and the prospect of food. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten.

People slowly trickled down the stairs and into the common room. Once everyone, minus Arthur, was there, they all climbed out of the portrait hole and headed towards the Great Hall in hopes of food.

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**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**

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**Updated: 7/29/15**

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	10. Chapter 10: Clean up

**Author's Note:**

**Thanks you to everyone who has reviewed. Reading the reviews are the highlights of my days! Here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**

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Harry walked in silence to the Great Hall while everyone around him chatted away. He couldn't help but think of everything that happened the night before in these halls that he was walking through now. He couldn't help but question who caused what pile of rubble, and who died where? It was almost too overwhelming for him to stay inside the castle, but he trotted on anyways.

As Harry entered the Great Hall, he was markedly surprised at how... normal it looked. He figured that many people must have been working non stop to clean it up. The hall wasn't nearly up to its usual condition, but looked much better than it did the last time Harry had seen it.

Ron was the first one to spot the food covering the only clean tables in the hall: the teachers' tables. Harry felt a bit uncomfortable sitting up at the tables, but the access to food quickly diminished the feeling. Harry was starving. He couldn't remember the last time he ate, and the fact that he spent hours the night before in an intense magical battle only amplified his hunger. He didn't appear to be the hungriest though, as he eyed Ron stuffing his face, barely giving himself time to chew and swallow before he shoved more in. Harry silently laughed to himself as he saw Ron's eating get a look of disapproval from Hermione. His laugh die when he saw Michael only nibbling on a slice of toast.

"You know that you can eat as much as you want, Michael," Fred said also noticing Michael's small plate of food.

"That's alright. I'm really not that hungry."

Michael's statement received only a shrug from Fred, but he got a frown from Hermione as well. Before Harry could ask Hermione what was wrong, he spotted Lupin making his way towards the group.

"Glad to see that you all are up," Lupin said. "Are you all feeling alright?" Harry nodded yes along with everyone else.

"So, what are we supposed to do now," Harry asked.

"Do we get to help clean up Hogwarts," Ginny chimed in.

"Well, tomorrow we are all going to head over to the Grimmauld Place. There is going to be another Order meeting there soon. And before you ask, yes, you will all be allowed to attend. We have decided that in light of the previous event, every single one of you has earned the right to be there, including both Michael and Alden. Where is Alden?"

"He's still asleep, sir. And thank you for allowing us to join," Michael said.

"You are very welcome, and no more with the 'sir'. You can call me Remus."

Michael nodded his head.

"Anyway," Lupin continued. "Since you all will be here today and seem willing to help, I do believe there is a task in which you all can aid in."

"What is it," Ginny said excitedly.

"All of you follow me, if you will."

Ron moaned grumpily and stared longingly at the rest of his food on his plate before getting up with the rest of the group to follow Lupin. Any excitement about the fact of helping out quickly faded away when Lupin led them into the library.

"We're going to clean up the library," Ron complained.

"There isn't much damage to the castle itself in here, but many bookshelves were knocked over and broken," Lupin explained. "All you need to do is fix the shelves and re-shelve the books by hand. It shouldn't be too hard. Good luck!" Lupin nearly sprinted out of the library leaving them to work.

"Oh course they give us the most boring and unimportant job," Ron huffed.

"Ronald! How can you call the library not important," Hermione scolded him.

Ron's ears turned bright red, and he bent down to begin picking up the books that scattered haphazardly across the floor.

By lunch time, all of the bookshelves were fixed and they had begun to place the books on the shelves where they belonged. Ron, always being the one to think about food, suggested that they should go to the Great Hall for lunch, and some others were quick to agree.

There were a few more people in the Great Hall when they walked in compared to when they came for breakfast. It looked as though, people just came and went freely, grabbing some food before heading back out to work on repairs.

The group of Harry and his friends all sat down and tucked in to eat once again at the teachers' tables. It wasn't until near the end of the meal that Harry noticed that someone was missing. "Where is Michael?"

Others looked around confused as if they also didn't realize his absence. It was Neville who answered. "He told me that he wasn't hungry, so he was going to go get some fresh air outside."

Harry pushed back his nearly empty plate and stood up. "I'm going to go check on him."

Harry walked away quickly before anyone could question him. Harry didn't really trust either of the cousins. Their timing of revealing themselves just seem a bit too suspicious for his liking, and they both seemed off.

After some walking, Harry found Michael laying down by the Black Lake. Michael hands rested underneath his head, his closed eyes directed towards the sky. At first look, Michael appeared to be pretty relaxed, but the closer Harry looked, the more he saw. After a year spent on the run with both Ron and Hermione, Harry could better pick up the subtle clues of underlying tension. He saw the tension on Michael right now.

"Beautiful day out isn't it," Michael said with his eyes still closed as Harry walked up to him.

Harry, slightly unsure how Michael knew it was him, looked up at the clear blue sky. It was warmer out than usual, but the breeze felt cool on Harry's face. It felt surreal, though. Hours ago, this place was utter chaos, but now it was tranquil.

"Yes, it is," Harry finally said.

"Well," Michael said hopping up. "I guess we better get going."

"Huh?" Harry was confused, his mind being pulled back into the present.

"You came out here to get me, right? We have to go back to work," Merlin said, a goofy smile spreading across his face.

"Oh, yeah. We should probably get back to the library."

Walking back towards the castle, Harry couldn't help but to constantly cast sideways glances at Michael beside him. He seemed more at ease and the traces of his previous smile lingered on his face. He looked perfectly nice. Maybe I was wrong about him, Harry thought. Harry was beginning to have a hard time picturing Michael working for Voldemort. He kept his suspicion, though. Even if they both are good, there is still something off.

The rest of the day was uneventful. They finished shelving the last of the books before heading back to the Great Hall for dinner. The hall was packed now with many of the people who stayed and helped clean up for today. Michael attended the meal this time, although he ate very little like before during breakfast. After dinner, it was back up to the Gryffindor tower to sleep.

Walking into the room, Harry looked over to the bed that Alden still occupied and snorted at the sight of the sleeping figure.

"Merlin! He hasn't even moved at all since this morning," Ron remarked rather loudly as he entered the room behind Harry.

Michael, who was already in the room and making his way over this his own bed, whipped his head around super fast and stared at Ron. "What did you say," Michael said rather alarmed.

"Whoa, calm down," Ron said putting his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "I just saying that it's pretty impressive that Alden has slept so much."

"Oh," Michael said. "Right. You didn't mean... nevermind. I'm just going to go to bed." And with that, Michael jumped into bed, burying himself under the covers.

Ron stared at Michael's still form with a bewildered look on his face before turning towards Harry and mouthing 'what was that about'. Harry could only shrug. He too was confused, but he decided to let the matter drop. He was too tired to think about anything other than his comfy bed. It didn't take long for him to drift off into sleep once he climbed into it.

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**I hope you like it, and I will try to have the next chapter up sooner than I put this one up. I can't make any promises, though. My classes for college are my top priority.**

**Please leave a review, though! Each review convinces me to put off my school work and write more, so maybe the next chapter will be up sooner!**

**Thanks for reading**

**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**

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**Updated: 7/30/15**

**Beta Reader: les-revolutionnaires**


	11. Chapter 11: Leaving Hogwarts

**Author's Note:**

**I know that it has been awhile since I have last updated, but my life had recently gotten extremely busy. I think all of my teachers are conspiring against me, making sure that I have multiple test, quizzes, and papers due within days of each other.**

**Anyway, here is the next chapter. I hope you like it.**

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Merlin was the first one up again. Instead of walking down to the common room like the day before, he decided to sit by the window next to his bed and watch the sun rise. He quietly laughed at himself as he remembered his dislike for being up this early when he was back in Camelot. Now, Merlin actually liked being up before the rest of the world. He liked seeing a new day begin, one where things could change for the better.

Soon, one by one, everyone else began to wake and get ready for the day. Once again, the only person to still be asleep was Arthur.

"Is he alright?" Ron asked.

"Oh, he's fine. I'll take care of him."

Merlin walked over to Arthur and gently shook him. "Alden, wake up."

Arthur gave no response.

"Get up, clotpole," Merlin said louder while shaking harder.

Arthur mumbled something incoherent and rolled over, away from Merlin.

"Fine," Merlin said taking his wand out of his pocket. He quickly conjured up a large cup of water before stowing his wand away. He then proceeded to slowly pour the water all over Arthur's head.

Arthur's eyes shot open as he jumped up onto his feet. "Merlin! What was that for!?"

"Oh, good, you're awake. We were all just about to go down to breakfast. Want to join?" Merlin face showed a cheeky care free smile, but his insides froze solid once Arthur said 'Merlin'. He strongly hoped that no one took notice to it. Don't people swear by my name like that nowadays? The lack of reaction from everyone confirmed his belief. They were in the clear now, but Merlin took a special note to remind Arthur to be careful of future slip-ups.

Arthur narrowed his eyes at Merlin, and if looks could kill, Merlin was sure that he would be incinerated on the spot.

"Let's have you lazy daisy," Merlin practically shouted while making a bee line towards the door before Arthur could do anything to him. Merlin was almost to the threshold of the door before he was hit in the back by the metal cup that he conjured up to pour water on Arthur's head. With a laugh, he scurried down to the common room to wait, reminiscing about all of the times he'd woken Arthur up in Camelot and had things thrown at him.

It didn't take long for Arthur and the rest of them to come down. Arthur held Merlin back while everyone began to make their way out the portrait hole to go to breakfast. When they were the last, Arthur gave Merlin a swift whack to the back of the head before jogging to catch up.

"That was for the water," he shouted over his shoulder.

Merlin took a minute rubbing the back of his head, a smile slowly stretching across his face, before following.

They made it to the Great Hall in good time, and Merlin was surprised to find it bursting with activity. I seemed that many more people had come to work on cleaning up and restoring the castle. The four house tables were back in use, and people were scattered in groups across them. Some were eating the abundance of food laid out on the tables while others were either discussing the plans for repairs or just chatting away with the other workers and volunteers.

The twelve of them found an empty spot on one of the tables and dug into the food. Merlin silently laughed to himself when he noticed that Arthur was eating food at such a rate that even rivaled Ron. Apparently Merlin wasn't the only one who noticed. He saw Hermione as she looked at Ron and then Arthur.

"Arthur, I think that you should slow down," Merlin said.

"But, 'm so hungry," Arthur replied with his mouth full.

"Oh course you are hungry. You just about emptied all of you magical energy and then went over twenty-four hours without food. But you're going to make yourself sick if you continue eating like this."

Arthur begrudgingly took Merlin's advice and slowed down enough to properly chew his food before swallowing and not taking such huge bites.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley entered the hall and walked over.

"See, I told you that they would be here," Mrs. Weasley said to Mr. Weasley.

"I should have never doubted you," he said in return before addressing the group. "Okay. Here is how today is going. The wards are back up, so we are all going to walk down to Hogsmeade. Luna and Neville, we have made arrangements for your father, Luna, and your grandmother, Neville, to meet us there so you can go home with them. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, you three can go with Sirius and apparate to the Grimmauld Place. Ginny, we will use the floo to get back to the Burrow."

"Why can't I go with Harry and them," she asked.

"Don't worry," Mrs Weasley said. "You will see them soon. Your father and I just think that it would be best for you to come home first."

Though Ginny still seemed unhappy, she nodded her head in agreement. Merlin guessed that Mrs. Weasley wanted Ginny back in the safety of their home for awhile since she almost lost her in the battle thanks to Bellatrix.

An hour later, all of them minus two plus Sirius were walking down to Hogsmeade. Fred and George left earlier to go back to their shop to work on opening it back up Merlin smiled as they passed the through the wards. Yesterday during lunch time and before Harry came to find him, Merlin came out here to put a few of his own wards up and tweak a few of the ones that were already in place. It seemed that the first thing of Hogwarts to be fixed were the wards, and they were done well. After Merlin's additions, there was no way in hell that Voldemort could do the same stunt he did before the battle and break through the wards again.

When they arrived in Hogsmeade, they were greeted by a man with long, white-hair and a stern looking, older woman. Luna and Neville joined their respective guardians before saying their goodbyes and parting ways. After they left, Mrs. Weasley started another round of goodbyes and gave each of them a large hug, even giving one to Merlin and Arthur. Once they parted ways as well, Sirius turned to them taking out his wand.

"Can all you you apparate," he asked. Everyone except Ron nodded a yes.

"I can use a side-along apparition and take you," Hermione suggested to Ron. There was a haunted look on her face. Ron readily agreed.

"We will be appearing outside of Grimmauld Place," Sirius said.

Less than a minute later, the six of them stood on the street in London. Sirius pulled out a piece of paper from is pocket and handed it to Merlin.

"I need you an Alden to read this and think about it very hard."

Merlin complied and wasn't too surprised when he looked up and was able to see a new flat appear. Although he couldn't see the part of the building before, he easily sensed the magic of the charm that kept it hidden.

"Fidelius Charm. Nice," Merlin said.

"You're familiar with them," Sirius asked.

"I been to one or two place protected by the charm."

Actually, Merlin had been to many over the course of his life. He and Arthur even hid out in a house protected by the charm for a few months. Merlin shuddered at the memories of the events that led up to their hiding.

Shaking his head to clear the memories of the past, Merlin followed Sirius up the stairs and through the door.

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**Thanks for reading! Please leave a review.**

**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**

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**Updated:**

**Beta Reader: les-revolutionnaires**


	12. Chapter 12: Life at 12 Grimmauld Place

**Sorry it took so long to update. I am still trying to acquire a Beta reader. Hopefully I will have one soon. Anyways, here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy!**

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Days flew by and the summer weeks began to blur together for Merlin. Not to say that life at the Grimmauld Place wasn't...interesting, but all known activity from Voldemort and his Death Eaters ceased. The once a week Order meeting (that everyone including Merlin and Arthur were allowed to attend) quickly became more spaced apart since Voldemort has yet to make another move since the attack on Hogwarts. In fact, there wasn't any movement at all from his followers. It was as if he and his followers just dropped off the face of the Earth. Kingsley and the others took this as a bad sign. Merlin couldn't help but agree with them. Whatever is going to happen isn't going to be good. He could feel a storm brewing on the horizon.

The Order meetings consisted mostly of gathering resources and preparing for any potential threat from Voldemort. Both Merlin and Arthur contributed little during the meetings in an effort to not draw too much attention to themselves. While they were alone, though, they prepared themselves. They woke up early almost every morning to train. They had already been training before the Battle of Hogwarts, but since there was a likely treat of someone with old magic rising, they ramped it up. They brushed up on both their old and new magic so that they would be ready to handle anything. Merlin had been in quite a few magical fights involving old magic, but not in a long time. Arthur, on the other hand, had hardly been in any at all. So they studied, practiced, and perfected as much as they could. Arthur, being the knight he is even after all this time, insisted on also training without magic. Merlin, who was inept with a sword back in Camelot, could now wield a sword as good as Arthur himself. Hand-to-hand combat still always proved to be in Arthur's favor, though. Merlin may have gained more muscle over the centuries, but he was no match to Arthur. Arthur was buff, Merlin was a stick with some muscles on it.

During the day, Merlin and Arthur kept to themselves frequently. Most of the time when they talked to the other members of the house, they were ask many questions about their past. Merlin hated being asked questions these questions in fear that what he said would somehow contradict his and Arthur's cover story. Another reason they kept away was because after spending a long time living with only one other person, it takes some time to get used to constantly being around lots of other people. But Merlin was slowing getting used to having more than Arthur around.

In order to keep busy and give an excuse to be away from the others, Merlin made it his personal mission to deep clean the flat. Even with the cleaning that was done the other year by the others the place, it was still dark and depressing. Merlin sympathized with Sirius who had to live here. So, over the course of quite a few weeks, Merlin made the place shine, one room at a time.

"Hey, Michael and Alden, are you in here," Ginny said walking into the library. She had been staying at the Grimmauld Place for about two weeks now.

Merlin turned around from the book shelve that he had been organizing. "Right here," he said.

"Same," Arthur called out from further back in the room.

"We're getting ready for another order meeting right now. People should be showing up soon, if you want to come down," Ginny said.

"We'll be down in a bit," Merlin smiled at here.

Ginny nodded once before leaving. Arthur strolled into view, a strange object in his hand.

"Do you think that anything useful will come from this meeting," Arthur said not looking up from the object he was tinkering with.

"Only one way to find out," Merlin said with a cheeky grin before making his way out of the room.

Arthur was right behind him when Merlin made it to the kitchen which was where the meetings usually took place. They silently slid into a pair of free seats near the Golden Trio. People slowing began popping in and taking their seats as well. Not everyone showed up to every meeting, but there were a few members who were frequently present. McGonagall came in along with Snape. Lupin and Tonks took their usual seating next to Sirius. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were also present, but this time without the twins. There were also many other member that filed in. Merlin didn't know everyone's name, but he recognized a few others. Luna and Neville were notedly absent this time. The two usually showed up even if it was only to see Harry and the others.

The meeting started off as usual, compiling a list of the people that have pledged their allegiance since the last meeting was held. There were reviews of defense plans for various locations, and discussions of the ever present wild theories of what Voldemort is planing. Merlin didn't really pay attention to much of what everyone was saying. He did however pay attention to Snape, who was not to subtly studying Merlin himself. Merlin felt a bit unsettled by this though he made sure not to show it. Snape reminded Merlin of Agravaine. Although there were vast differences between the two, there were also many similarities. Merlin trusted Snape, but he wasn't particularly fond of the man.

The meeting slowly wound down and some members began to leave. Ron stood up to follow suit only to be stopped by McGonagall.

"I need you and the others to remain seated, Mr. Weasley. I have a few things to discuss with you lot," she said briskly.

After a few minutes, all who remained in the kitchen were Merlin and Arthur along with the Golden Trio, Ron's parents and Ginny, McGonagall, Snape, and, of course, the owner of the kitchen, Sirius.

"Now," Professor McGonagall began. "In light of he event that happened during the past school year, Hogwarts has decided to allow anyone who wishes a redo of last year to come back. Since you three, Ron, Harry, and Hermione, didn't attend last year at all, we strongly encourage you to come back to complete you seventh year education."

"No offense or anything, Professor, but you can't be serious? Going back to school while Voldemort is still out there? We would be more useful here," Harry argued.

"Don't be foolish," Snape said. "You all are just sitting around here. Also, not only will you be better protected at Hogwarts, finishing you education will be beneficial to you since you will be acquiring more knowledge over spells and other things that just may potentially save your life."

"He has a point Harry," Hermione said.

"Oh, no. Not you too, 'Mione," Ron complained.

"Shut up, Ronald," she said giving Ron a hard whack on the arm. "Just because you don't particularly like school doesn't mean the logic of going back isn't there."

"It is influences you decision any," McGonagall cut in. "You should know that I have already spoken to Mr. Longbottom and Mrs. Lovegood. They both are going to be returning as well as some others from your class. Also, I have agreed to them that the may start the DA back up and have it as a school recognized club for anyone who wished to join."

"I'll come back," Hermione said.

Ron seemed to wilt under the pressure of the stares he was getting from not only his parents, but from Ginny and Hermione as well, and agreed to come back. Now the only person who was left was Harry. Merlin watched as Harry looked to Sirius to see what his thoughts were.

"I think you should go," Sirius said firmly.

"Alright," Harry said. "I'll go but only under the condition that all of us still get to attend every meeting and are kept in the loop about what is happening."

"I was planning on letting you do that anyway," McGonagall said with a smile.

Harry nodded his head. Merlin could tell that Harry wasn't particularity ecstatic about having to go back to school, but Merlin was happy that he was.

"Um, what about Alden and Michael," Ginny asked Professor McGonagall.

"I was just about to get to that," she told Ginny before focusing on Merlin and Arthur. "You two will also be allowed to come to Hogwarts this year."

On the inside Merlin leapt with joy. This was just what he wanted to hear. Staying at Hogwarts with Harry would be the best way to protect his as well as give Merlin enough space to work without it being too suspicious. Right now, though, he need to make it seem like he wasn't too eager to join the others at school in order to not draw suspicion that way either.

"Aren't Alden and I kinda too old to go," Merlin said putting a confused look on his face.

"That is true, but there will also be others who are technically too old as well since students are repeating a year. Also, I was under the impression that neither of you have had any formal education, so I thought this would be very helpful to you both."

Merlin nodded his head and looked at Arthur. Arthur then turned to McGonagall and told her that they would both be happy to attend.

With a promise that the six of the will receive their letter shortly, both McGonagall and Snape left. Merlin stood up and went back to the library to continue his cleaning, his mind buzzing with all of the things he will have to do in preparation of going to Hogwarts. Arthur entered the room, and one look at his face told Merlin that he too was please at the outcome of the meeting. With a smile, Merlin went back to organizing the bookshelf that he has previously been working on while Arthur went back to toying with any interesting object he could find.

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**I hoped that you liked the new chapter. This is my longest chapter yet.**

**Please leave a review. Constructive criticism is welcome.**

**Thanks,**

**super-sherlocked-gallifreyan **


	13. Chapter 13: Secret Meeting

**This chapter is shorter, but that was because there just isn't much going on during this scene. I hope you like it anyways, and I hope to have the next chapter up by the end of the weekend.**

**Also, I don't have an official beta reader, but I do have someone other than me now looking back over the chapters before I post now. Hopefully there will be less mistakes now but still feel free to point out any errors that you see.**

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Sirius sat at the head of his empty kitchen table drumming his fingers along the clean wood. He had been siting there for twenty minutes now and was quickly growing impatient. Another quick glance at the clock told him that his guests were indeed late. He huffed in annoyance. Sirius was never fond of waiting around. The sound of the front door opening and closing caused a small smile to cross his face. He quickly quickly got rid of it and put his face of annoyance back on when his five guest entered to kitchen.

"You're late."

"We just wanted to make sure that everyone was truly gone before we got here," Kingsley replied.

"As you know, his wife," Sirius said gesturing to Arthur Weasley," took everyone to Diagon Alley to buy school supplies as well as visit Fred and George's shop. That was an hour ago."

"Calm down, Sirius," Remus said. "We're here now."

"Well then, why doesn't everyone sit down so we can finish this before they they get back."

The five took that as their cue to move towards the table and take their seats. Lupin took the seat to the right of his best friend. McGonagall sat in between Lupin and Arthur and across from Kingsley and Snape.

"So the boys, Michael and Alden," Kingsley began. "What have they been doing so far? Can they be trusted?"

"Well, I am sure that you have no doubt noticed what they have been doing here, and I must say that I cannot remember this place ever looking so nice."

Sirius meant what he said, and he was beyond pleased at the cleanliness of his old family home. He was confused when Michael approached him earlier in the summer asking permission to clean his flat but soon rationalized that the boy was just looking for something to do with his time. Sirius was beyond glad that he told Michael yes. Having a cleaner and brighter home in turn made Sirius himself feel better.

"All they have been doing is cleaning," Snape asked skeptically.

"Michael is the one who really does the cleaning. Alden just seems to play with whatever object that he can find that holds his interest, and there are a lot of interesting things in the Black family collection here. But, other that their secret workouts in the morning, they haven't done anything suspicious as far as I can tell."

"What do you mean about their secret workouts," Lupin asked, confusion written all across his face.

"I've only noticed this recently since I am usually never up that early, but before sunrise every morning, the two wake up and lock themselves in the drawing room. I'm only guessing that the are doing some sort of physical exercise because I can never unlock the door to walk in, and they soundproofed the room. They stay in there for a few hours doing whatever it is that they do, and, when they come out, they are covered in sweat. Usually, after that they go to the bathroom and take turns using the shower. So, I don't really know that they are doing, but I assume that they are working out."

"Well, it's no crime to stay in shape, but something about that just don't really set right with me," Kingsley said.

"They could be practicing spells and dueling," Weasley suggested. "There is a war going on, and from what I've heard about their spell work during the Battle of Hogwarts, they must have already done some serious practicing to get that good, especially at their age."

"That could be very true," McGonagall said.

"Regardless of that, though, do you thing that we can trust them, Sirius?"

"I do," he said nodding his head.

Sirius did believe that they could be trusted. He wasn't completely sure why, though. There were plenty of reason to trust them, but there were also some reason to not. Despite everything, though, he felt deep in his gut that they were trustworthy. He just hope that it held true.

"I still think that we should keep a close eye on them," Snape said.

"Well, they should be in Hogwarts soon, so you and Minerva can keep tabs on them if you would like," Kingsley suggested. "You are going back to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, am I correct?"

"I am," Snape drawled.

"I will be busy with Headmistress duties, but I see no reason why I can't take some time to watch over them," McGonagall said.

"Then it is settled," Kingsley said standing up. "We'll continue to give them full access to the Order meetings and everything, but we will also keep a close eye on them. Just make sure neither of them notice either of you watching them."

Both Snape and McGonagall nodded.

"The kids should be back from their shopping soon, and I am sure that everyone here has things that they need to get done themselves. I shall see you all at the next Order meeting." With that, Kingsley strode out of the room. The others soon followed after saying their goodbyes (or in Snape's case, just stalking out without another word). Lupin held back, and soon he and Sirius were the only ones left in the room.

"You like both of them, hum?"

"What reason do I have to not, Moony? They saved our lives during the Battle. Hell! Look what they did to this place! It's amazing, and I am not one to be easily impressed. Both of the boys have manners unlike that I have ever seen of others their age. And, from what I have seen, Harry and the others have no qualms about them. I know that these are dark times, and we should be weary of anybody let alone two people who showed up because of mysterious circumstances, but I don't believe either of them have a dark bone in their body. What do you think, Moony?"

"I think that you are right in that neither of them are on the dark side, Padfoot, but I do think that they aren't telling everybody the whole truth as to why they are here."

"Yeah..."

Sirius could see his friend's point.

"Anyway, I don't see any harm in Snape and McGonagall keeping a eye on Michael and Alden while they are at school."

"I suppose.."

"Anyway, I should get going."

Sirius nodded, and Remus walk out of the kitchen leaving Sirius alone with his thought again.

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**I hope you liked it and please leave a review. Constructive criticism is welcome.**

**Thanks**

**super-sherlocked-gallifreyan**


	14. Chapter 14: Diagon Alley

**Replies to reviews:**

**mokona-au-chocopyuh: I've never though about Arthur being sorted into Hufflepuff. That is actually a good idea...**

**Coolestbee: I won't give anything specific, but let's just say that many will know Merlin and Arthur's secret before the end of their first semester at Hogwarts.**

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Arthur for once wasn't bored. So far, the summer had been nothing but boring. With not much to do but sit around, Arthur could only try to entertain himself. His entertainment usually consisted of playing with various unusual object that he found while Merlin was cleaning. Arthur didn't dare clean himself. He didn't like it and couldn't understand why Merlin did, especially since he constantly complained every time he had to clean while back in Camelot. The only thing that kept Arthur sane throughout the summer was the training that he and Merlin did every morning. He was very impressed with Merlin's skill with a sword, and he enjoyed beating Merlin every time in hand-to-hand fighting. Although, to be fair, Merlin still beat him every time during a magic duel.

Right now, though, was even better than their morning trainings. Right now, Arthur was in Diagon Alley. He always loved Diagon Alley. Arthur and Merlin had lived many different places all over England and beyond, but Diagon Alley was a place that they kept coming back to. Arthur wasn't sure why he liked it so much, but it didn't change the face that he did.

The day went rather quickly for Arthur, and he enjoyed every minute of it. Everyone split up into groups to make the shopping go quicker, so Arthur and Merlin paired up and went off on their own. They moved store to store buying their needed supplies and reminiscing the various times when they lived here. The last time they stayed here, they owned the bookshop that was now known as Whizz Hard Books. They took extra time while in the bookstore just to look it over and see all of the changes that occurred to it since their ownership about one hundred years ago. It was also interesting to see the other changes to Diagon Alley. There was new stores that replaced ones that were there before. Some remodeling was done, and there were many new repairs no doubt due to the damage that the Death Eater inflicted not too long ago. Overall, though, Diagon Alley remained essentially the same, and the fact that it did made Arthur smile warmly to himself.

The shopping trip ended with everyone meeting back up to visit to the Weasley twin's joke shop. Arthur was surprised at how much business the store had, but he figured people just needed something to take their mind off of the dangers that are prevalent at the time. Arthur couldn't blame them. Sometimes during the darkest hours, a good joke and some happiness was what you needed the most. Arthur didn't end up buying anything at the joke store, but he did have fun touring the shop and talking with Fred and George, who seemed to be doing well despite the previous events.

When everyone was done with their shopping and visiting with the twins, Arthur, Merlin, and the Golden Trio apparated back to the Grimmauld Place. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny went back to the Burrow with a promise to be at the Grimmauld Place bright and early tomorrow morning.

Dinner was sort of uncomfortable for Arthur later that night, though. Sirius seemed a bit off, and it made Arthur feel uneasy. He could tell that Merlin felt the same way because all of his smiles and laughs were mostly fake, not that the other occupants at the table could tell. Arthur came to the harsh realization that Merlin could easily fake many emotions soon after Arthur discovered that Merlin had magic. Arthur could never distinguish between a genuine smile and a fake smile when it came to Merlin before. It took decades of being around Merlin very closely to finally see the subtle differences between the two. It hit Arthur hard when he saw that Merlin wasn't the happy idiot he always though him to be. Merlin was sad and lonely before.

After dinner, Arthur and Merlin retired to their shared bedroom so they could talk privately.

"Something is up," Arthur said as he closed the door behind him.

"I noticed it too," Merlin said. "Although, I have no idea what it is."

"Neither do I."

"Should we do anything?"

"No. We don't want to do anything to make anyone more leery of us. We're going to Hogwarts tomorrow. When we're there we just need to be careful of what we do."

Merlin nodded.

"Are you ready to go back to Hogwarts again," Merlin asked with a true smile on his face.

Arthur laughed at the thought of going back to Hogwarts for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Well, I think it is certainly going to be entertaining and won't lack excitement."

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**I know. I know. It's another short chapter, and I said that my chapters were going to get longer. Sorry. But, I already half way through with the next chapter, and I can guarantee that it will be much longer than this one. Also, I plan to have it up hopefully by Tuesday night. If not, then Wednesday.**

**Please leave a review.**

**Thanks**

**super-sherlocked-gallifreyan**


	15. Chapter 15: Welcome to Hogwarts

**Like I said, her is the chapter posted no later than Wednesday (It is still Wednesday in my time zone.). Also, it is longer like I said! I hope that you enjoy it.**

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The morning of the day they left for Hogwarts was controlled chaos. Mrs. Weasley, who came over bright and early with Mr. Weasley and Ginny, was running around making sure that everyone had everything. Merlin and Arthur sat down on their trunks by the door just watching it all. Over the centuries they had learned how to travel light and pack quickly and efficiently. Merlin had everything pack up within minutes of waking up. Arthur was they same. From they way Mrs. Weasley was shouting, Merlin guessed that the others weren't the best at getting their things together. Merlin shuttered to think what it was like a few years ago when she had more children attending Hogwarts. If her other children were as bad as Ron was when it came to packing, Merlin felt sorry for Mrs. Weasley.

When everyone was finally ready, they all paired up and appartaed to platform 9 3/4. Time seemed to blur during the rush for everyone to load their trunks onto the train, say good byes, and get on the train before it rushed off. Merlin followed the group into an empty compartment and sat down. He still had soft smile on his face after Mrs. Weasley gave his a large hug. It was a sad smile, though. Even though they were vastly different, Merlin couldn't help but see some of his own mother in Mrs. Weasley, if only due to her motherly nature. Merlin shook his head to clear his thoughts. He needn't to dwell on the past. Instead he looked up and took a survey of the compartment. Neville and Luna must have come in while Merlin wasn't paying attention because they now were sitting across from him and talking to Ginny. Ron and Arthur had started up a game of Wizard's chess, and Hermione had her nose in a large book. Harry on the other hand, was looking at Merlin.

Merlin quickly schooled his features and flashed Harry his trademark goofy smile.

"How long does the train ride usually last," Merlin asked Harry. Merlin knew the answer already, but it was a bit unsettling that Harry was staring at him, so he felt compelled to say something.

"Almost all day," Harry replied. "We'll get there around dinner time, and there will be a feast as well as the sorting ceremony."

"I wonder how they will sort you and Alden," Ginny said joining in on the conversation. "Do you think that the will make you both be sorted with all of the new first years?"

"We won't," Merlin replied pulling out a piece of folded parchment. "We got a letter last night from McGonagall saying that she wants all of us to go to her office as soon as we arrive. She is going to sort me and Alden there before that hat is sent down to the Great Hall for the first-years, and she also wants to tell us all something in person."

Ginny and Harry nodded at that and then went on to talk about quidditch.

"Are you going to play," Ginny asked Harry.

"I don't know. I mean, would there even be time to practice and play games with all that is going on. Not only is there studying for classes, but there is also DA, and Order meetings."

"Oh, come on, mate," Ron said looking up from the chess game. "It will be fun. I packed all of my quidditch gear just in case. I say to play."

"Yeah, Harry. It will also be a great way to relieve stress," Ginny said.

"I think you should play," Merlin said. Merlin figured that not only will Harry playing be beneficial to Harry, but also give more free time for Merlin and Arthur.

"Will you play," Harry asked Merlin.

"Uh, no. I'm rubbish at it," Merlin said.

_If rubbish means that I can't even fly a broom without it exploding, _he thought.

It was the same concept with wands. Merlin's old magic was just too strong that the core of a wand, or broom, could not handle it.

"What about you, Alden," Ginny asked.

"I think I'll have to pass as well," he said not even looking up from the chessboard.

The rest of the train ride passed quickly. Arthur ended up winning the game of chess. Merlin felt a bit sorry for Ron. He knew Ron was a good chess player, but it's kind of hard to beat a man who was around when the game was invented. Also, chess is a game of strategy, and Arthur had been trained since birth on strategies because he was to grow up and become a King, who duty is to lead the Kingdom's army. Everyone else essentially just talked for the rest of the ride. Aside from the previous conversation, Merlin remained mostly quiet.

Once the train stopped, the group quickly exited the train and walked to get on the first carriage to Hogwarts. Merlin couldn't help but cringe as he saw several students look surprisingly at the threshals pulling the carriages. Many students could now see them because they fought at the battle.

As they pulled up to Hogwarts, Merlin couldn't help but be surprised at how well the castle looked. If Merlin hadn't seen the building during the aftermath of the battle, he wouldn't have been able to guess that it ever occurred. The building was fully restored and even looked newer than it did before. The walk to McGonagall's office was fast, and soon Harry was knocking on her office door.

There was a voice on the inside saying to come it, so Harry opened the door for everyone to step in. The office was much cleaner and organized than the last time Merlin had been in the room. Actually, the room seemed sort of bare. Everything that was owned by either Dumbledore or Snape that had been in the office before was gone, and McGonagall hadn't put much of anything to replace the items.

"Before we do anything else, we're you to have to get the two of you sorted," McGonagall said pointing to both Merlin and Arthur. "The hat is going to be needed down in the Great Hall in a little bit. Who wants to go first?"

Merlin pushed Arthur forward. Arthur glared back at Merlin, who just smiled back.

"Thanks for volunteering, Mr. Penn," she said to Arthur and quickly dropped the hat on his head.

Silence filled that air as everyone was in suspense waiting on the verdict. Merlin on the other hand, was having difficulty trying not to laugh. Since the hat was taking a long time, and there was scowl on Arthur's face, Merlin figured that the hat was considering putting in Arthur in Hufflepuff again. Both Merlin and Arthur have attended Hogwarts many times. Almost every time, Arthur had been sorted into Gryffindor, and Merlin could logically see why. But one time they came here, the hat apparently decided to switch things up and sort Arthur into Hufflepuff. Merlin had never seen Arthur so confused and angry than he did when the hat was pulled off his head after shouting the word 'Hufflepuff'.

Arthur's scowl began to deepen, and Merlin could only guess what was being said between the two.

'Arthur, you are a very hard-working and loyal person. Hufflepuff is a good house for you.'

'Yes, but I am more brave and courageous. Just put me in Gryffindor like you always have before. I fit in perfectly there before'

'I just figured that since you have been in that house so many times before, that it would be nice for a change.'

'I've already had that change, and I have to say that I would much rather be put back into Gryffindor this time.'

'But..'

'Just put be in Gryffindor, dammit!'

After the deafening silence that seemed to last forever, the hat yelled out 'GRYFFINDOR'. Arthur all but threw that hat at Merlin causing Merlin to smirk. Arthur was never a fan of the hat. Merlin like it, though, and happily put in on.

_Good to see you again, Emrys._

_Did you have an argument with Arthur again._

_I was merely attempting to put some variety in his times here at Hogwarts, and he did make a good Hufflepuff._

_He never forgave you for that, you know?_

_I gathered that from our conversation a minute ago. Anyways, what house do you want to be in this time?_

_You're not going to sort me?_

_You already know the answer, Emrys. You are magic itself. I do not have the power to judge upon that._

_Fine. You'll argue with Arthur to no ends about where to sort him but always let me decide._

_So what is your decision going to be this time?_

_I'll go with Gryffindor this time, please._

_You're wish is my command._

"GRYFFINDOR," the hat yelled out for the second time tonight.

Merlin smiled as he handed the hat the McGonagall who quickly took it to the door to give to Professor Flitwick who was standing outside.

"Congratulations," McGonagall said returning to the group. "Gryffindor is a great house to be in. It is also my house. Although, I am no longer the head of the house."

"Who is the Head now," Hermione asked.

"It's none other that Hagird himself."

This smiles to appear on everyone's face. Merlin smiled himself. From what Merlin had seen, he believed that Hagrid would make an excellent Head of the Gryffindor House.

"Now, the reason as to why all of you are up here. After corresponding with Mr. Longbottom and Mrs. Lovegood, I have been talking it over with some other Professors, and we have decided that is would be best to have the DA meetings on Saturday evenings. Any student who wishes to attend is allowed. Is that good for everyone here?"

There was a collective mumbles of 'yes' and some nods of the head.

"Good. Also, since all of you are sill allowed to attend the Order meetings, whenever there is one, you all are to come here. We will be using the fireplace in my office to floo to the Grimmauld Place. There is no set schedule of meetings as of now, so I will just inform you of one as soon as I find out. That should be it for now. I suggest we head down to the Great Hall. Don't want to miss the feast, now do we?"

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**So no, I did not end up putting Arthur in Hufflepuff this time. I figured that it would be better for him to be in Gryffindor because I have already planed out a few scenes with his and Merlin in the common room, and them sneaking around the castle together. I hope you like the chapter anyway. Please leave a review.**

**Thanks**

**super-sherlocked-gallifreyan**


	16. Chapter 16: Snape's Class

**Sorry about the long wait. I recently got a new laptop and have been having some difficulty with it. Also, I just got back from a trip in which i didn't have internet access. But without further ado, here is the next chapter.**

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For what was probably the first time, Snape was actually looking forward to today. It was the first day of classes, and his first class was with Gryffindor. Yup, it definitely was a first but only because that meant that two certain boys were going to be in attendance. Snape waited in his office at the front of the defense against the dark arts class room watching the students file in through a crack in the office door.

Snape let a ghost of a smile to come across his face as he saw the duo walk in and take their seats seconds before class was to begin. Snape took at deep breath and opened the door.

"Everyone take your wands out and stand at the back of the room," Snape said as he quickly descended the stairs. Both the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws moved quickly in compliance. Once everyone was in the back, with a flick on his wand, Snape stacked all of the desks on the far wall creating an ample amount of space.

"Everyone is to pair up with a dueling partner. Today's class is going to be an assessment to see where everyone is at since some of you are technically to be in differing years. Use whatever advanced spell you know and are capable of using. Rules: no killing or seriously injuring your opponent or anyone else else in the classroom. Begin."

Snape walked around the classroom appraising everyone's work. He made a few comments to some students correcting them on the pronunciation and wand movement as well as making mental notes as to where the majority of the students were material wise. He also paid rapt attention to the to the students with the best and strongest spell work. Sure most of the Ravenclaws had knowledge of some spells that were considered advanced for them, but none of them have the strength or will behind their casting to make the spells truly be what they should be. Potter and the Weasley boy put an extraordinary amount of strength behind each of their spells, but they only really stuck to the basic spells and occasionally ventured into the more complicated ones. Granger and the Weasley girl were excellent, though. The pair not only used the advanced spells but also showed the capabilities to make the spells strong. Still, the girls paled in comparison to Alden Penn and Michael Emerson.

The two boys looked like they were in a well choreographed dance with how they were shooting off and blocking spells at one another. They both moved as though they knew exactly what the other was going to cast before the spell was cast just by looking at each other. The pair did not show off, though. Their spells mainly consisted of the basic spells that were taught up to the seventh year, but there were a few spells thrown in there that Snape never heard of. Also, at the beginning of the duel, most of the spells they used were spoken aloud, but as the duel progressed, they both have taken to almost always using wordless spells. Their power behind their spells also increased. This all lead Snape to believe that the boys were trying to hold back what there are truly capable of. The boys probably set out to not show that the exceed the others of the class but have gotten so into the zone of the duel they are starting to forget it. If that was the case, then the two cousins were certainly advanced for their age. But Snape believed that it was more than that. The fact that neither of them seemed to be tiring told him that they were more advanced and powerful than fully matured wizards.

_How powerful are they, and why are they trying to hid it?_

Snape had a few ideas about the answer his second question but didn't like any of them.

Snape checked the time and saw that the class was soon to be over. He made his way back to the front of the classroom and shouted out for everyone to end their duels. Once everyone had stopped, he addressed the class.

"Today was certainly... informative." Snape's eyes drifted across the students' faces as he spoke, his eyes lingering on Penn and Emerson when he spoke the last word.

"I now have a good understanding on where everyone is in their spell work and now have a better idea on how to go about the rest of the class this year. Your homework is to read chapter one of the book, and I want a written response to the chapter. It is to be no shorter than seven inches of parchment. Dismissed."

No sooner then when he finished speaking did the bell ring signalling the end of class. Students grumpily gathered their belongings and left. It seemed that although they enjoyed today's class, they weren't happy about the homework. A few students lingered for a little while longer and shot uncertain looks at Snape. He figured that they were confused about him being back teaching and not off with Voldemort. Snape did not even want to think about what rumors were being spread between the students in attempt to explain why he was back at Hogwarts. No, instead Snape focused his attention on Penn and Emerson.

Courtsey of McGonagall, Snape knew both of the boy's schedules. Fortunately for him, they were both taking all of the same classes and thus had the same schedule. Right now they should be headed to the dungeon for double potions with Slughorn. Defense against the dark arts has always been the job Snape has sought after. Now that he has it, though, he couldn't help but miss teaching potions. He was never going to admit to that out loud, though, and he refused to entertain the thought about trying to get his old teaching job back. Snape physically shook his head in an effort to derail that train of thought.

His mind soon drifted over to Voldemort. The Dark Lord no doubt knows that Snape is alive and has been playing as a double spy for years. Snape began to wonder what the Dark Lord thought about his betrayal and if he ever suspected it. Snape wasn't really afraid to die at the hand of Voldemort. Snape always assumed that it was how he would die, and it practically already happened once. Snape did shutter to think what Voldemort would do to him aside from killing him, though. A quick death is not something Snape saw Voldemort giving him.

Snape stopped his thinking when he realized that he was subconsciously rubbing his arm where the Dark Mark currently resided on his skin. It was something he had hated for a long time and wished that he could just rip off his skin. Sadly, Snape didn't know of any way to get rid of the mark. The mark was there to stay and haunt him for the rest of his life, no matter how short it may come to be.

Snape sighed and trudged his way back up to his office. He needed to prepare for his next class. Students should begin to arrive any second now, and he needed few minutes to get himself mentally prepared to tackle another class.

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**I hope you liked it. Please leave a review. I always love reading them, but they have been decreasing as of late, so please write one. Constructive criticism is always welcome. The same goes with questions and short comments about what you think of the story so far.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**super-sherlocked-gallifreyan **


	17. Chapter 17: The Stalker

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**Zoe: I really appreciate your dedication to review! I like some of your ideas about how Harry and Ron find out about Merlin and Arthur's secret and will most definitely keep them in mind for the upcoming chapters. Also, I will try to pick up the pace. I also apologize to everyone about how long it takes me to update, but school has been keeping very busy.**

**Kallie01: I have been contemplating whether or not to have Merlin remove Snape's Dark Mark, and since another person likes the idea as well, I think I will try to make it happen.**

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Merlin sat in on of the comfy cushioned chairs in the Gryffindor common room. The room was empty except for him, but that was to be expected this early in the morning. Two weeks had passed by since Merlin had arrived at Hogwarts, and things were going surprisingly smooth. The only hitch was the very first class which was Snape's. It was a duel and both Merlin and Arthur got a bit carried away. They were just so used to dueling with each other every morning in private that they kind of forgot where they were during it. Luckily it seemed that at least part of them knew where they were so they didn't do any extremely advanced spells and stuck to only new magic spells. Unluckily, though, Snape was for sure suspicious of them.

Both Merlin and Arthur have caught the said teacher following them a few times. The man was exceptional at trying to remain undetected, but they were better. Fortunately for them, they had yet to make any more slip ups. Merlin was getting angsty, though. He was not used to being constantly being surrounded by people. Arthur didn't seem to mind as much as he was naturally a people person. Merlin found solace in these early hours where everyone else was still asleep.

Merlin checked the time and saw that he still had a good long while until Arthur was going to get up. They have decided to continue there morning training starting today. Today was also the day of the first DA meeting. Harry asked if Merlin and Arthur could come along and help teach it since there would no doubt be more students in attendance. Arthur quickly said that they would gladly do so.

Not wanting to remain idle any longer, Merlin got out of the chair and decided to go on a walk around the castle. Not wanting to wake any of the sleeping portraits, he quietly exited the room and stepped out onto the landing of the moving stairs. From there her began to walk with no particular destination in mind.

Wandering around alone let Merlin mind wander to the memories of the past times he walk these halls. Merlin found that when you get so old, you find yourself wanting to live more in your memories that you do in the present. It was because Merlin thinking about his memories that it took him so long to notice someone was tailing him. Once again, Snape was following him. Merlin sighed, but he had to hand it to the man. He was relentless. Merlin wondered how long Snape was going to keep it up. He decided that he probably needed to get rid of Snape before it was time for him and Arthur to go train. Merlin could probably easily lose Snape in these hall ways, but that wouldn't stop him from trying to follow them in the future. Merlin decided that he needed to put a stop to this now.

With that in mind, Merlin stopped where he was in the middle of the hallway, turned around, and sat down on the floor. He stayed there for about minutes without moving. Apparently, Snape decided against moving as well and stayed where he was hidden from view. Merlin mentally chuckled at the fact the Snape was still hoping that he wasn't seen.

Merlin soon grew tired of waiting for the man to give into the fact that he had been noticed and decided to speak up.

"How long are you going to stay there hanging on the hope that I didn't notice you?"

There was a split second that Merlin thought the man was still not going to show himself, but it was shoved aside when Snape revealed himself by walking out of the shadows and up the the still sitting Merlin.

Merlin smiled. "Why don't you take a seat," Merlin said gesturing to the ground where Snape stood.

"I'd rather remain standing," Snape replied coldly. Merlin reasoned that he was angry about being made.

"Suit yourself," Merlin said and he leaned back on his elbows so that he was more comfortable looking up at the man.

"You know that it is rude to stalk someone."

"Stalking? I was merely following a student who was breaking the rules by being out at this unruly hour."

"Maybe, but this isn't the first time you've followed me or Alden for that matter," Merlin said trying to gauge Snape's reaction. He was disappointed, however, when Snape's face revealed nothing. _Damn, he's good._

"I would like you to stop following both of us," Merlin said simply.

"Why? Do you have something hide?" Snape had a calculating look on his face. It was a look that Merlin could see his students wilt in fear under. Merlin stood his ground, though.

"Does it matter? Everyone is entitled to their secrets. I believe that it is still considered polite to not going digging around to uncover every like fact about a person. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, though."

"I find that politeness does matter if it endangers the safety of anyone in this school."

Merlin had to smile a little on the inside. Although Snape was not the most pleasant person to be around, he did care about to students of Hogwarts, even if he would rarely ever show it. Merlin dropped is head back in a groan not wanting Snape to know that he appreciated how caring he was towards the students.

"Why does no one believe that some people just want to do the right thing," Merlin groaned out.

"Because people aren't that way. There is always a reason behind someone doing a good thing, an ulterior motive."

Merlin considered Snape's words. Snape was right for the most part. Merlin did like doing good things just because it was the right thing to do, but the main reason that he was here at Hogwarts was because the Old Religion demanded that he protect and help Harry fulfill the prophesy, and the only reason he was still doing what the Old Religion wanted him to do was because Merlin desperately wants an end to his suffering.

"Why are you fighting on this side, then," Merlin asked Snape. This time Merlin did get a reaction.

"Why does that matter," Snape asked warily.

"I figure that it is a fair question to ask. You're wanting to know why Alden and I are helping, so I would like to know why you are," Merlin said cocking his head to the side as if to study Snape better.

Snape stayed silent for a moment, and Merlin worried that Snape wasn't going to say anything.

"I propose an offer," Merlin said. "You tell me why you're here, and I will tell you why Alden and I are here. Then afterwards, we agree to not stick our noses in each other's business. Fair enough?"

Merlin could see Snap internally debating whether or not to agree. Merlin knew that he was skating on thin ice here, but Merlin tried not to care. Besides, over his incredibly long life, Merlin found that allies are a good thing to have, and Snape seemed as good as any ally. Sure the man could be cold and mean, but, from what Merlin has seen, the man was pretty reliable and damn good at keeping a secret. Also, for a reason that Merlin couldn't even begin to explain, a part of him wanted Snape to know, for anyone to know for that matter.

It felt like a eternity before Snape nodded showing Merlin that he agreed to the proposal. Merlin smiled at that.

"You first," Merlin said.

Snape took a deep breath before he spoke.

"As always, I am doing it for Lily and to make up for the things that I have done in my past. Harry may be the embodiment of many of the things I despised about James, but he also has much of Lily inside of him. Also, I know that Lily would have wanted me to protect her son."

"Love is a powerful thing, isn't it," Merlin said sadly. Thoughts of Freya popped into him mind, but he forced them back down.

"I believe that it is your turn to answer the question," Snape said.

"Ah, yes. I can't say the exact detail as to why we are here." Snape opened his mouth to protest, but Merlin quickly continued talking.

"That being said, Alden and I are here to make sure that Harry succeeds in defeating Voldemort, and we won't rest until that is done. We don't really have a choice because if we don't…"

Merlin's voice choked off. He took a moment to suppress the plethora of emotions running rampant in him and composed himself. When he was ready, he looked Snape dead in the eyes and spoke.

"There are worse things than death."

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**I hope you like the chapter! If you did, please leave a review.**

**Also, in a little over two weeks, I am going to be done with this semester of school. That means I will have a heck of a lot more time to write, so I have been thinking about possibly starting another crossover fanfic over the winter break. I have a poll set up on my profile, so you can go vote on which crossover you would like to read best. So, please go vote and thanks for reading!**

**super-sherlocked-gallifreyan **


	18. Chapter 18: Snape's Theory

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**Author's Note:**

**Finals have started for me, so that is why this update has taken so long. I've been studying like crazy. But, here is the next chapter. Oh, and I also got an official beta reader so the mistakes in this and the future chapters should be at a minimum. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Beta reader: les-revolutionnaires**

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Snape was stunned into silence, Michael's words replaying themselves over and over again in his head. They hit Snape hard for a few different reasons, one being that Snape was thinking the exact same thing not too long ago. It was almost as if the boy took the words straight out of his mind and spoke them aloud. But if that wasn't shocking enough, it was that a young man, a boy really, who said those words with so much emotion behind them that it made Snape seriously wonder what the boy had gone through to make him think in such a way.

The potions master took a good, long look at the boy before him. He sat cross-legged on the ground and was leaning back on his elbows. Michael displayed the essence of a carefree kid, but the way he spoke and the look in his eyes contradicted that completely. Snape didn't know what to make of him

"I agree," Snape said making sure the this face wore its usual mask that didn't show any emotion.

"Are we good now?" Michael asked. "Will you not go following us around anymore?"

"I have just one more question for you, and then I will leave you alone." Michael cocked his head to the side to think it over for a minute before cautiously nodding his consent.

"Do you have anything to gain if Potter succeeds in fulfilling the prophecy by killing the Dark Lord?"

Snape was unsure whether or not Michael was going to answer. He already seemed reluctant to answer the previous questions, and the boy looked as though he was seriously debating on how to answer the question.

Michael looked up to meet Snape's eyes, and he showed hesitant trust.

"Yes," he said slowly as if he wanted to trust Snape but didn't know if he should. "I hope to get the one thing that I have wanted so desperately for a long time,"

"What is that," Snape asked intrigued.

"Freedom," he said simply.

"Freedom from what?"

"Life," Michael replied, his gaze never wavering from Snape.

Snape couldn't keep himself from showing his shock this time. He immediately understood what Michael was implying, but the reasons behind his desire eluded him. Multiple questions popped into Snape's head, each one making him more confused about Michael and more determined to find out more about the boy. Snape was just about to ask him more questions when Michael suddenly jumped up.

"I would say that it was an absolute joy to be talking to you Professor, but we both know that I would be lying. I have to go now, and I hope to not see you lurking in the shadows behind me anymore," Michael said quickly while dusting off his pants. He flashed a painfully obvious forced smile before he turned on his heel and trotted away.

Snape stood not moving, not knowing what to make of Michael's abrupt exit. He watched his retreating form in the dim lighting of the hallway. Snape was just about to turn to go back to his quarters to ponder over the conversation he just had when a shout stopped him in his tracks.

"Merlin!"

Snape turned back to see another person joining Michael. He couldn't distinguish right away who it was due to the distance and lack of light.

"Where the hell have you been!? I've been looking all over for you! I thought that we were going to start..."

Michael cut off the other person who was talking very loudly and animatedly waving his arms and a bag he was carrying around. "I know, _Alden_," he said strangely putting emphasis on the now identified boy's name. "I got bored waiting for you and decided to go for a walk. Unfortunately, I was held up unexpectedly."

Alden quickly put his arms down and nodded. "Shall we get going then, or is it off," he inquired.

"No, were good. I think I have just solved a problem of ours actually," Michael said as he started walking away again.

Alden let out an exasperated noise before hurrying to catch up. The boys continued talking but Snape couldn't hear what they were saying anymore. He briefly considered following them to hear the conversation and figure out what it was they were up to this early in the morning but decided against it.

This whole encounter with Michael only served to fuel his curiosity regarding the two cousins. Though, he did reslove to go about collecting information about the two a different way. Following them was out of the question, and he doubted that either of them would willing divulge any more information if he were to ask at the moment, but there were other ways to gather intelligence.

Snape spent the majority of the rest of the day sending out owls to his few remaining contacts that he trusted trying to gather information about the duo. Towards the end of the day, every single one of his contacts replied saying that they couldn't find anything on a Michael Emerson or an Alden Penn. It was as if neither of them existed.

Frustrated, Snape stood up and began pacing the length of his office reviewing what he already knew in an attempt to derive new information from it. The two had said that they didn't attend any formal magic school. The lack of records of them from any other schools supported that statement. They seemed well versed in magic that was typically taught in school, so thay obviously had an excellent tutor that taught them well. Still, there should be other forms of record about them even if they didn't attend a school, but none were to be found. Snape wondered why they moved around a lot. _Maybe they were hiding from someone, or they didn't want to stay in one place in an effort to not draw unwanted curiosity or suspicion towards them._ Either way they would want to stay under the radar, and that could explain the lack of records. Snape was mildly impressed if that was the case. It was damn near impossible to not leave a trail of some sort behind.

They were incredibly knowledgeable on other things as well, especially Michael. He knew quite a bit about to crystal that Voldemort took off the top of his head. He also appeared to know a lot about the Druids and the Old Religion which was information thought to be lost. Michael said that the Druid's magic was much more powerful than the current magic of today.

Snape froze mid stride as a something popped into his mind. _Alden and Michael are both obviously very powerful._

As Snape thought it over more, everything started to make sense. If they were Druids, they would be more powerful, they would know all about what is is to be a Druid and Druid Old Religion magic, and they obviously wouldn't go to a modern magic school. That couldn't be the case, though. Not only did all of the Druids die out long ago, they were using the same spells as everyone else. Snape didn't know much about the Old Religion, but he was certain that they didn't use Latin based spells.

Snape stalled over to his desk and sat down. He folded his hands under his chin to think. After a while, Snape came to the conclusion that somehow the cousins had to be affiliated with the Druids. _A more direct descendant from them, perhaps._ Snape didn't know how that was possible, but he it sure helped explain the enigma of Michael Emerson and Alden Penn.

He checked the time and saw that is was about time for the DA meeting to start. He planned on going to supervise with some other professors for the sole purpose of being able to observe the cousins. Apparently, Harry had asked them to help teach during the meeting, and Snape was not about to miss watching that. Also, he was now thinking that maybe he would be able to gather enough information to reach a concrete conclusion about Michael and Alden.

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**The poll on my profile is still up, so if you haven't checked that out, please feel free to do so. Also, reviews are greatly appreciated. If you have a comment, concern, question, or suggestion about anything concerning this story or myself, you can either leave a review or PM me.**

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**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**


	19. Chapter 19: DA Meeting

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**Authors Note:**

**Thanks to my fantastic beta reader, my previous chapters that I didn't have an official beta reader for are going to be edited and updated, so I will now be periodically updating older chapters as well as posting new chapters.**

**Also, the poll is still up on my profile page. I will keep it up until late Friday, so I encourage you to vote soon. On either Saturday or Sunday, I will post the first chapter of the winner.**

**Beta Reader: les-revolutionnaires**

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Harry surveyed the scene before him. It was ten minutes before the first DA meeting of the year was scheduled to start, there were already a lot more students in attendance than Harry expected and more continued to walk in each minute.

"I didn't expect this many people to show," Harry said to Hermione. "What are we going to do?"

"We can split them up. You, Ron, Alden, and Michael can take the older students and everyone who was at the original DA meetings. Ginny, Neville, Luna, and I can take the younger ones. That way you can teach the older students higher level stuff that the younger students wouldn't be able to do yet."

"That is a good idea. We can practice the Patronus Charm with my group. I'm thinking Expelliarmus with the younger ones."

Hermione let out a small laugh. "Of course."

"What's so funny?"

Harry turned around to see a confused Alden standing next to Michael.

"Nothing," Hermione said quickly, a smile still on her lips.

"Okay, then," Alden said unconvinced. "So, what do Michael and I need to do to help tonight?"

"How good are you two with a Patronus Charm?" Harry asked.

Michael and Alden shared a brief look before Michael answered. "We are capable of performing one. I suspect we are going to be helping teach it."

"Yeah. Most to the people that were in meetings when we first started them my fifth year know how to perform one, but some others don't. Besides, the practice will do good for everyone."

"We can do that," Alden said, Michael nodded in agreement before they turned and walked away to go talk with Luna and Neville.

"Did you see that look they gave each other before they answered?" Hermione asked.

"I wonder what it was about," Harry said looking at the two boys as they held a conversation with Luna and Neville.

Harry was still unsure about the cousins. The logic part of his mind screamed in suspicion and told him that he should probably not trust either of them. His gut, on the other hand, told him that they were good people and he should trust them. Needless to say, Harry was at war with himself over the issue concerning both boys. There was undeniably something different about the two, but for now, Harry decided to give them the benefit of the doubt.

"You all right, mate?" Ron asked as he and Ginny entered into the Room of Requirement and walked up to him.

"I'm fine," Harry said snapping out of his thoughts. "Now that we are all here we can go over the plan.

Harry got Luna, Neville, Alden, and Michael to come back over and he went through the plan that he and Hermione had discussed for the night. All of them seemed okay with the plan. There were no objections. With that settled, Harry turned and tried to get a hold of everyone's attention. All of the students were talking amongst themselves, their voices drowning out Harry's as he tried to get them to quiet down. Harry looked around for some way to get their attention. He cast a glance at an amused looking McGonagall who was sitting with Flitwick. They both came to supervise the meeting. Neither of them looked like they were about to help any time soon.

After a minute of failed attempts, a short, high-pitched whistle pierced the air making everyone cringe and cover their ears. Harry looked over to find the source of the whistle and saw Alden smile back at him.

'You're welcome,' Alden mouthed to him. Harry shrugged and directed his attention back to the mass of students.

"Uh...hi, welcome.," Harry said uncertain. "I'm glad that so many of you came out tonight and want to learn how to fight and defend yourselves. Since there are so many of you, we're going to be splitting up into two groups. Those who were a part of the meeting the other year along with all fifth year and above students will be in one group on the left side of the room. Everyone else will be in another group on the right side."

Everyone started to move, sorting themselves into their group on either side of the room. Once everyone was sorted, Harry and the other seven went to work. Harry explained to his group that they were going to be practicing the Patronus Charm. He quickly went through the basics on how to perform the charm and what the charm could do.

"Now, fully body Patronuses can be very difficult, but a shield Patronus has the ability to be just as useful. If you do it correctly and with enough practice, you too should be able to do something like this," Harry said taking out his wand and pointing it up. "_Expecto Patronum!_"

A stag erupted from Harry's wand and ran through the air around the room before disappearing.

"Now it's your turn to try."

Harry walked around the room giving advise to those who needed it and encouragement to everyone. He not only was he impressed on how well the students were doing on casting the charm, but also on how well Michael and Alden were helping out.

"I want you to close your eyes," Harry heard Michael say to a boy. "Think back. What is the absolute happiest memory you can think of? When you think you have found it, I want to focus on that memory. Let it wash over you and fill you up. Then I want to pour the power of that memory into the spell."

They boy nodded and took a deep breath. "_Expecto Patronum!_"

Small, white wisps flew out of the boy's wand making a giant smile stretch across his face. It didn't take a form and wasn't very strong, but it was a very good starting point.

"You did it!" Michael exclaimed. "I told you that you could."

"Good work," Harry said. "Both of you."

Michael gave a nod back to as the boy told him his thanks.

Harry couldn't help but let out a smile as he saw all the successes many were having. He briefly checked on Hermione and the others to see how they were doing. They were having lots of success as well with the Expelliarmus spell. The meeting soon wound down to an end, and the students began to shuffle their way out of the room and back to their respective dorms.

"That was impressive, Potter," a low voice said behind Harry. Harry whirled around to seen Professor Snape.

"Thanks, I didn't know that you were here," Harry said wondering when did the professor come in. Harry didn't see him at the beginning of the meeting.

"All of you can form a corporeal Patronus?" Snape asked ignoring Harry's statement. "We've seen yours Mr. Potter. What about everyone else?"

Harry squinted his eyes up at Snape. Harry knew that he was digging for something, but he wasn't sure what it was.

"I can," Ron said stepping up after a moment of silence. He took out his wand and cast the spell making a dog jump out.

One by one, Hermione, Ginny, and Luna showed their Patronuses. Neville mumbled something about not being able to make a corporeal one yet after Luna went. Finally, they were all looking at Michael and Alden. Looking at them, Harry finally realized what Snape was wanting. He wanted to know what their Patronus's were. A Patronus says something about its caster. Harry figured that Snape was still trying to figure the cousins out just like himself.

"What about you two?" Snape asked Michael and Alden. "Are you capable of making one?"

"Um..yeah. But, uh," Michael said fumbling with his words.

"Come on," Ginny said. "We all showed ours. The least you could do is show yours."

Harry looked over at Ginny and saw curiosity burning in her eyes. A quick survey of the rest of the people in the room showed that the others including Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were also curious.

Michael and Alden looked at each other and appeared to have a short, silent conversation with their facial expressions. It lasted about a minute before they both looked resigned and took out their wands.

"Expecto Patronum!" they said in unison after taking a deep breath. Two dragons shot out of the tips of their wands and flew around the room. They were nearly identical, but Michael's was markedly larger than Alden's. They flew around the room for a few seconds more before they faded away.

"Merlin! That was amazing," Ron exclaimed.

Harry noticed how both of the cousins flinched at Ron's words, and he saw the Snape didn't miss it either.

Everyone looked impressed at Michael and Alden while they looked quite uncomfortable.

"Well, I don't know about all of you, but I am tired," Michael said as he started walking out. "I think I am going to go to bed."

"Same," Alden said. "That was a good meeting, Harry."

"I agree," Professor McGonagall said. "All of you did very well. Now, it is getting late, so I will bid you goodnight."

"Well done, all of you," Professor Flitwick said before he followed Professor McGonagall out. Snape was right behind them in leaving but left without saying another word.

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny began walking back to the Gryffindor tower together. Neville went to go walk Luna back to the Ravenclaw dorms.

"Did you see those Patronuses! I've never seen anything like that," Ron said.

"That was very interesting," Ginny commented.

"It was very interesting," Hermione said. "Usually, only powerful wizards have their Patronus as a magical creature, like Dumbledore's. But, not only were theirs a magical creature, a dragon, they were dragons like I've never seen before."

"So?" Ron asked.

"So, that means that must be incredibly powerful to have such a Patronus."

"If that is the case, Hermione," Harry said, "why do you think they are always trying to act like they aren't that powerful?"

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please feel free to leave a review, and don't forget to check out my poll.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan **


	20. Chapter 20: Dragons

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**Coolestbee: Actually, one of the reasons I decided to have Arthur's patronus be a dragon is because of the Camelot emblem which is a golden outline of a dragon. Also, I thought since he and Merlin have been together for so long, they would have very similar patronuses. I made Merlin's bigger, though, to show that he was more powerful than Arthur. I am happy that you enjoyed the chapter anyway!**

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**Beta Reader: ****les-revolutionnaires**

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Merlin was getting nervous. October had already rolled around meaning that Samhain was drawing nearer. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that if Voldemort wanted to raise someone from the dead to use the crystal, then he would choose to do it on that day. Samhain is the day that the veil between the spirit world and the world of the living is at its thinnest. It was on that day that Morgana opened the veil letting to Dorocha out to wreck havoc on Camelot and its surrounding villages.

"What are you thinking about?" Arthur asked as he slid into the seat beside Merlin. They were seated in the library. Him, Arthur, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all supposed to meet here so that they could work on the potions essay that was due the next day. The Golden Trio hadn't shown up yet, though.

"Voldemort," Merlin stated causing Arthur to scoot closer so their conversation wouldn't be overheard by anyone passing by. "If he is going to make a move, it is going to be at the end of this month on Samhain.

"That makes sense," Arthur said nodding. "But, in case you have forgotten since the last Order meeting this past Friday, no one has heard or seen anything from him or his followers since the battle. We have no clue where he is hiding, and we don't know where he would go to perform the ritual to bring someone back from the dead."

"The Isle of the Blessed."

"What?" Arthur said confused.

"The best place for Voldemort to perform the ritual is the Isle of the Blessed," Merlin said seeing Arthur's eyes light up in understanding.

"The what of the blessed?" Ron asked dropping his heavy school books onto the table, startling the pair.

"Sorry that were a bit late," Hermione said while she and Harry set their books on the table as well and sat down.

"No problem," Arthur said quickly.

"So, what were you two talking about?" Ron asked again.

"Oh, nothing important. Has anyone even started on this essay," Merlin said quickly changing the subject.

There was a brief pause of silence in which Merlin began to fear that the trio would continue to question him. To his relief they didn't.

"I've already started working on it. It's actually not as hard as you would think. I'm almost done," Hermione said. "And no, you cannot copy me, Ron," she added glaring at the red head who in turn looked quite annoyed.

The next half hour passed quickly for Merlin. Hermione was completely right in saying that the essay was easy. After putting the finishing touches on his paper, Merlin looked around the table to see how everyone else was doing. Arthur looked to be almost done with the essay, while Harry looked to have quite a bit more to write but seemed fine. Ron, on the other hand, was staring at his paper as if it had rudely offended him somehow. Hermione, who was finished with her work, leaned over to the fuming Ron and began to help him while talking in low whispers.

After about five minutes of sitting there just lost him his thoughts, Merlin kicked Arthur under the table. Arthur shot him a look that said 'what did you do that for'. Merlin gave him a look and a jerk of his head as if to say 'follow me'.

"I'm going to go look for a book," Merlin said getting the attention of the other three sitting at the table.

"I'll go with you," Arthur said getting up to follow Merlin. "I need to find a book as well."

Arthur waited until they found a more secluded area before talking.

"What was it that you want to talk about?" Arthur asked crossing his arms.

Merlin held up his hand and scanned the area to make sure that they were in fact alone. Once he was satisfied, he spoke.

"I think that we need to keep a watch on the Isle of the Blessed. We need to stop Voldemort before he has a chance to raise anyone who can use the crystal."

"You know we can't just ditch this place to go stakeout the Isle of the Blessed in the hopes that we will just happen to spot Voldemort or one of his followers. We're supposed to be playing students, remember?!" Arthur said thrusting his arms out as if to emphasize what he was saying.

"I know, Arthur," Merlin said with a smirk. "It's a good thing that we know someone who has nothing better to do than stakeout the Isle for us. Two someones in fact."

Merlin tried, but failed, to keep the smirk off his face as he watched Arthur think about who he could have been talking about. His smirk bloomed into a full mischievous smile when he saw that Arthur realized who the two people he was referring to were.

"No," Arthur said firmly which only served to make Merlin smile harder.

"Aww, come on. Who else would do it?"

"Pick anyone else, just not them, especially not her," Arthur said his jaw tightening.

"You're not still mad about the last time we saw her, are you?" Merlin asked know full well what the answer was.

"Yes, I am!"

"What was this fight even about, anyways?"

Merlin saw Arthur falter.

"You don't remember, do you?" Merlin said laughing.

"It doesn't matter. She's the one who started it!" Arthur almost yelled before remembering that they had to be quiet. Merlin just laughed.

"You would think that being as old as you are, you'd be a little more mature," Merlin said.

"She's as old as me," Arthur said defensively.

"Actually, you about twenty years older than her," Merlin countered.

"Come on, being this old, twenty years is nothing."

Merlin saw that Arthur had a point in his statement but continued on anyway.

"Unless you can tell me right now if you know someone who we can trust and would be up for the job, I'm going to go call them."

Arthur held up a finger and opened his mouth as if to say a name, but no sound came out. Slowly he lowered his hand and closed his mouth, his head hanging down.

"Just as I thought," Merlin said triumphantly.

"Fine," Arthur said. "But, I am not coming with you."

"You know, you two are going to have to get over it eventually."

"Shut up, Merlin. Just go and do your little thing to talk to them," Arthur said in a mocking tone. "I'll cover for you with the others."

With one final laugh, Merlin spun around and headed to exit the library only to run straight into someone. Merlin fell to the ground and looked up to see the formidable figure of Snape looming over him.

"Sorry about that," Merlin said standing back up. "I didn't see you there."

"Obviously," Snape drawled out.

"Well, I have to go," Merlin said hoping to make a quick exit. However, his hopes were squashed.

"And where might you be going?" Snape asked.

"Just going to talk to some friends. Bye!"

Merlin left before the Professor could say another word. It wasn't that Merlin didn't want to talk to Snape. He was just really looking forward to seeing his friends because he hadn't seen them in a long time.

Merlin quickly made his way outside and down to the Forbidden Forest, being careful to make sure no one was following him. Merlin sighed as he stepped into the forest and felt the strong magic of the forest wash over him. As usual, the forest had a calming effect on him. Merlin wasn't completely sure why, but being inside the forest always made him feel better. The forest held lots of magic like Hogwarts, but unlike the school which was drenched in primarily new magic, the forest held more old magic than new. This was most likely why others found the forest to be unsettling, but Merlin felt at ease. Old magic felt foreign to the new magic wielders, but Merlin felt at home being surrounded by the feeling of old magic.

In no time at all, Merlin found a wide clearing that he deemed perfect for his needs. He then tiled his head back as he shouted at the skies.

"_O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd 'hup' anankes!_"

Merlin sat down on a log near the edge of the clearing and waited. Twenty minutes passed before he heard the familiar sound of beating winds. A minute later two large dragons landed in the clearing.

"Greetings young Warlock," said the larger of the two dragons.

"You know, Kilgharrah, I am not that young anymore," Merlin said with a smile.

"Ah, but you are still young to me."

"So, why did you call us here, Merlin? And, where is Arthur?" the white dragon asked.

"Well, Arthur didn't come here because of you, Aithusa," Merlin said causing the dragon to laugh.

"He is still mad I take it?"

"Yes. What was the argument about this time?" Merlin asked.

"Does it matter? Either way, I'm pretty sure that it was his fault this time."

Merlin shook his head trying to hold back a chuckle. "Will you two ever grow up and stop bickering?"

"I don't think either of us will live to see that day," Kilgharrah said. "Anyway, what is the reason for you calling us to come here?"

Merlin gave them a quick summary of the war against Voldemort and how he and Arthur fit into the whole scheme of things. He told them about Voldemort obtaining the crystal during the battle and his theory on how he believed Voldemort would use it. Then he explained the reason for calling them here.

"So you want us to just sit around the Isle of the Blessed and see if anyone shows up?" Aithusa asked.

"Is there something better you need to be doing?"

"No," Aithusa huffed.

"Great! If you see anything, contact either me or Arthur. On the day of Samhain, I'm going to try and come out there myself because if he comes at all, he will come on that day," Merlin said.

Both of the dragons nodded.

"It was good to see you, Merlin. It has been too long," Aithusa said.

"Yes, it has," Merlin said as the two dragons took off and disappeared in the sky.

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**I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, and please feel free to leave a review. I welcome questions, comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism.**

**Also, I have the first chapter of my new story up. There was a tie between two of the options on my poll, so I just randomly picked one to write.**

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**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**


	21. Chapter 21: Research

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**ILikeHotDogs: Yeah, I know that the old dragon, Kilgharrah, technically isn't supposed to be alive this far into the future, but I felt like I just had to include him if I was going to put any dragons in this fic. One explanation for his continued survival could be that the same forces that are granting Merlin and Arthur immortality are also giving the same to Kilgharrah. To be honest, though, I haven't though much into it. If you feel like it is necessary, I can include an explanation in a future chapter.**

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**Author's Note:**

**Here is my Christmas present to all of my fantastic followers! I hope you all, including those who don't celebrate Christmas, have a wonderful day!**

**Beta Reader: les-revolutionnaires**

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Snape made his was to the library with determination in his stride. After a long time trying and failing to come up with answers to his questions himself, he figured it was due time for him to conduct a bit of research, mainly on the druids. He crossed the threshold into the library and immediately directed himself to where he knew he would most likely find the facts that he was looking for.

Snape was walking down an aisle when someone rounded a corner quickly and plowed right into him. Upon impact, Snape only stumbled slightly, but the other person fell to the floor. The Professor glared down to see who it was that ran into him and was surprised to see Michael.

"Sorry about that," Michael said standing back up. "I didn't see you there."

"Obviously," Snape drawled out.

"Well, I have to go," Michael said quickly. He looked as though he was really hoping to get out quickly. Snape, being the way he is, just couldn't allow that to happen.

"And where might you be going?" Snape asked, noticing the boy's smile falter for a spit moment.

"Just going to talk to some friends. Bye!"

Michael left before the Professor could say another word, forcing him to stare at his retreating form in annoyance. Snape didn't move from where he was standing until Michael disappeared from sight. He briefly considered following the boy but instantly decided against it when the memory of the confrontation with Michael that one morning came into his mind. Instead, Snape decided to turn around and go look for the books he came here for.

The section Snape stopped in was completely devoid of students and appeared have been that way for quite some time. Some of the books back here were so old that they even pre-dated Hogwarts. Snape figured that with the books being as old as they are, they would have more truth about Druids in them than the newer books. The new books always seemed to conflict with each other about what was real and what was myth.

Snape chose a few books at random. Setting the stack on a table, he sat down and began to skim through them. A temporary translation spell on the old books made reading much quicker.

An hour later, the Potion's Master was confident in in saying the Druids all died out around the same time the Old Religion did which was around the time that Merlin died. There was nothing here to suggest any Druid practices or any Old Religion magic after the kingdom of Camelot fell. Well, there was once thing. There was a brief mention of a user of old magic working with the four Founders of Hogwarts, but Snape couldn't find any evidence from other books to back the claim up.

In the end, the research only served to make Snape more frustrated as he was forced to conclude that it was practical impossible for the two cousins to have a strong connection to the Druids. The facts just didn't support his previous theory. Something about the whole ordeal about the decline of the Druids was bugging him, though. The details surrounding why the Old Religion essentially died out and anything about Merlin himself were not clear. Snape wasn't completely sure why, but something inside him made him feel like he needed to know more about it.

Snape decided that the only thing to do was to dig up some more information. He walked around for awhile looking at various books, trying to find one that would give him some concrete facts about Merlin. There was so many controversy over the historical figure, and no one was completely sure about anything relating to the wizard. There were only certain facts that the majority of people believed to be true, and experts were absolutely positive about the validity of those facts.

Snape began to pull books out at random, leaf through them, and return them to their spots on the shelves. None of the books he had looked at so far contained what he wanted. He continued to do this until he pulled out a rather large book which caused a smaller book that was hidden behind it to fall out and onto the floor. Frowning, Snape put the large book back and bent down to retrieve the one that fell. Looking at it closer, it appeared to be more of a journal than a book.

'Gwen' was the name written inside the front cover. Intrigued, Snape took the book back to where he was sitting before and began to read through it. He was right when he thought it was a journal, he but was completely surprised to find out who Gwen actually was. She was Guinevere Pendragon, wife of Arthur Pendragon and Queen of Camelot. The journal contained her firsthand accounts of the Battle of Camlann. It told the story of her helping heal the wounded with Gaius and the witnessing of the great powers of a mysterious old man.

Snape paused on the name Gaius. He certain he knew that name from somewhere, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember. It wasn't a common name after all.

She wrote of Merlin saying that he and Arthur, who was wounded, were missing. Snape could easily see the worry in her words. Snape was utterly shocked at one entry, though.

_I always knew that Merlin was more than just a servant to Arthur. I'm a certain that everyone in Camelot who knew them saw it too. They were friends, best friends. They had a strange relationship that consisted of constantly insulting one another, but anyone could tell that they deeply cared for one another. Before, I would have never even guessed the secret Merlin was hiding, though. Even now after Gaius confirmed my suspicions, I find it hard to believe._

_Merlin has magic. He was the old man that helped during the battle. He is Emrys. The most powerful warlock to ever live is the goofy and clumsy boy that I befriended many years ago when he was in the stocks while young children, his 'fans', pelted him with food._

Snape read on to find out that Merlin and Arthur never returned to Camelot after the battle. Neither were ever seen again, and they both were declared dead, making Gwen the ruler of the great kingdom of Camelot. The writing ended there.

Snape set the journal down as he tried to digest all of the information he just received. Merlin wasn't actually an old man. He was a young man and probably only turned himself into an old man to occasionally disguise himself when he used magic openly. Merlin wasn't an adviser to King Arthur but was his servant. Something also stuck out in his mind. Both his and Arthur's deaths weren't concretely confirmed.

Snape sighed in exhaustion. He had been reading for hours and was feeling overwhelmed with all of the new information. He picked the journal back up with the intentions of returning it to its proper place on the book self when something caught his eye. A piece of parchment was slightly sticking out of the back of the journal. Snape slid the paper out and unfolded it to see a picture drawn on it.

The Professor sank to his knees with an overload of emotions when he laid his eyes upon the picture in his hand. The picture was a drawing of two smiling young men. One was dressed chain mail and a cape with the Camelot seal while the other was dressed in plain clothes and a neckerchief. Written at the bottom were two name: Arthur and Merlin.

Snape stared at the two faces. These were the faces of the once great King of Camelot and the most powerful warlock to ever walk the Earth. They were also the faces as two boys that were currently attending Hogwarts.

**I hope you liked this chapter! Please leave a review.**

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**Thanks for reading.**

**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**

* * *

***I know that there isn't any evidence of a translation spell existing in the Harry Potter books, but I had Snape use one because I figured that it would be more believable than him just happening to be able to read all of the ancient books easily since they were certainly written in different languages.**


	22. Chapter 22: Questions

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**Author's note:**

**As of right now, this chapter has not been beta read. My beta reader won't be able to edit this chapter until a few days from now, but I didn't want to leave all of you hanging until then. This chapter will be updated as soon as my beta reader edits it, so I hope that you don't whatever mistakes that are currently in it.**

* * *

**Update:**

**This story has now been edited.**

**Beta Reader: les-revolutionnaires**

* * *

Snape paced back and forth in his chambers. He had returned from the library some hours ago, but he could not sleep despite how late it was. There were too many things whirling around in his mind. So many things began to made sense to him now, and yet he had more questions than ever before. Part of his mind kept denying the truth that he found in the journal that was currently sitting on his table, but the another part of his mind had no doubt that everything he found out was the truth.

Snape cursed himself. He needed to get his mind and his emotions back under control. He forced himself to sit in a chair and calm down. He looked out his window across the room and saw that the sky was beginning to lighten. Dawn was approaching. There was no sense in trying to get some sleep now. He needed answers, and he knew exactly where he could find the two people who had them.

Standing up, Snape grabbed the journal off the table. He quickly exited his chambers and briskly walked down the hall, his black robes billowing behind him.

* * *

Merlin threw his head back in laughter. He and Arthur were recounting funny stories about what had happened to them during the past week as they made their way to the Room of Requirement for their daily morning training.

"So with Hermione gone off to the bathroom," Arthur said, "I was alone and able to act against the young Slytherin that was trying to watch in on the Gryffindor's quidditch practice."

"What did you do?" Merlin asked.

"I enchanted a bludger to chase after him."

"Seriously?!"

"Don't worry," Arthur said waving him off. "I made sure that it didn't actually hit him, but it sure scared the living daylights out of him. You should have seen him! He was running all over the pitch like an absolute fool! It was hilarious! And then he ran right into Hagrid who came out to see Harry for something. The best part was the look on his face, though, when Hagrid practically dragged him away from the pitch and up to the castle. I so wish you would have been there."

"You know, I still don't get the whole hype about quidditch. It's just a game," Merlin said as they stopped by where the entrance to the Room of Requirement would appear.

"It has a similar concept behind it like the tournaments my father used to hold."

"I never really understood those either," Merlin said with a cheeky smile. Arthur let out an exasperated groan.

"Whatever," he said. "Bottom line is that it was super funny the other day at the pitch, and you should have been there to see it."

"So you were the one who was behind that bludger incident," a voice said behind them.

Merlin and Arthur turned to see Snape stepping out of the shadows.

"I though you agreed to stop following us," Merlin said raising his eyebrow much like Gaius did to him all of the time back in Camelot.

"I wasn't following either of you. I was simply here waiting for you both to arrive," Snape said. His face was completely devoid of any emotions, but Merlin detected a flicker of something in his eyes. _Fear? Awe?_

"And why were you waiting for us?" Arthur asked crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"I wanted to talk to you both."

Merlin and Arthur stood there waiting for Snape to say whatever it was that he came there to say.

"I believe that this would be best done somewhere that we wouldn't be easily overheard," Snape continued, inclining his head in the direction of the Room of Requirement.

Merlin nodded his head in understanding and went to make the room appear. Once they were all in, Arthur spoke.

"Okay, talk."

Merlin saw Snape hesitate slightly.

"I found something very interesting when I went to the library yesterday," he said putting out a small, leather bound book from his robe. "I thought that you two would like to see it."

He held it out, and Arthur took it, opening to the front page. Merlin saw Arthur's face instantly become somber.

"Guinevere," he whispered so softly that Merlin almost didn't hear him.

Merlin moved closer to Arthur so he could see the contents of the book. He didn't immediately recognize the hand writing because it had been so long since he last saw it, but he instantly recognized what language it was written in and whose name was written on the page.

"How?" Arthur said looking up at Snape, his eyes watering.

"Like I said, I found it in the library yesterday. It appears to be her diary during the Battle of Camlann."

Merlin saw Arthur go absolutely still.

"That wasn't the most interesting part, though. This is," Snape said holding up a folded piece of parchment.

Merlin reached out and took it from Snape. He opened it up and almost froze like Arthur did. In his hands was a drawing of him and Arthur from back in Camelot. Arthur had on his chain mail, and he had on his usual manservant attire.

Snape knows, Merlin told himself. Those two words made so many emotions run through Merlin. On one hand, he was extremely happy and relieved that someone knew who they were. Now the weight of their secret wasn't as heavy. On the other hand, Merlin was afraid. He was afraid of what Snape would think, of what he would do with this knowledge. The rational side of Merlin knew that Snape could be trusted. He was a master at keeping secrets. At the same time, though, Merlin couldn't help but worry.

It took a few minutes for Merlin to calm his mind before he could speak. A quick glance at Arthur told him Merlin that he wouldn't be getting any help from him. He was lost in reading Gwen's journal.

"Figured out the big secret, huh?" Merlin finally said.

"I seems so. I didn't expect this, though," Snape said, his face still blank. Merlin couldn't help but wonder what it was that Snape was feeling.

"Wouldn't anyone expect this?" Merlin asked rhetorically. A tense silence fell after his words.

"How is it that you are..." Snape's question dropped off.

"Still alive?" Merlin finished for him.

"Yes."

"Well, that's the Old Religion for you. I'm just a pawn to them. They wanted me to do more after I defeated Morgana. They said that Arthur was to rise again and I was to wait until that day. I couldn't wait alone while Arthur was dead, though. They saved Arthur's life and granted his immortality probably more for the sake of my sanity than my begging, but at least I wasn't alone. We were bound to inactivity for years, only able to interfere in the Earth's events when the Old Religion allowed us. We were to wait until the time came for us to rise again. I didn't think that we would have to wait this long," Merlin said bitterly.

"So you are Merlin, and you've been alive this whole time?"

Merlin let out a humorless laugh. "It's funny. Back then in Camelot, the name Merlin didn't mean anything. Merlin was just the idiot manservant to Arthur Pendragon. My Druid name, though. That was a name people people knew. Emrys. Emrys means immortal, you know?It seems that I wasn't destined to be cursed with a long life since before I was even born."

"So what have you been doing all this time?"

"Just this and that really: ran a few shops, de-aged ourselves to attend Hogwarts a number of times, helped found this school, traveled the world, bred dragons, that sort of thing."

"You helped found this school?" Snape said, awe leaking into his face.

"You're looking at the secret fifth Founder of Hogwarts. This room," Merlin said gesturing around him, "was all my idea. What makes this castle so unlike the anything else is its flawless combination of old and new magic."

Snape nodded, a faraway look in his eyes.

"The Old Religion wants you to defeat the Dark Lord."

Merlin looked at Snape who was rubbing left forearm.

"No, the Old Religion wants Harry Potter to defeat him. Arthur and I are only here to ensure that happens. Despite what most modern wizards and witches believe. I am not a god. I am just a man. The same applies to Voldemort."

Snape nodded still rubbing his forearm. Merlin was sure that Snape didn't even realize that he was doing it.

"You were a Death Eater once, am I correct?"

Snape immediately dropped his right hand away from his left arm.

"I was one of his most trusted followers," he said slowly.

"Inner circle, dark mark, and everything, huh? You turned to Dumbledore's side after you told Voldemort about the prophecy and he killed Lily."

"I will admit that I made many mistakes in the past."

"They were in the past, and yet you are still hard on yourself. You may have done some bad things, but you have also done lots of good. When was the last time you allowed yourself to be happy?"

"How can I be happy when I am constantly reminded about all the things I have done wrong?" Snape said looking away. Merlin had the feeling that this was the first time that he ever truly opened up since Lily's death.

"If I can forgive myself for all of the mistakes that I have made, then so can you. The Old Religion may have cursed me into this long life, but it has also given me a great gift: a second chance. I believe that you can have that same opportunity."

Snape stayed silent. Merlin figured that he was thinking over his words.

"Just think it over. I'm sure that you have many questions. I promise to answer them, but I think we both need some time to think things over first."

Snape gave Merlin a questioning look.

"This is the first time in centuries that someone other than Arthur knows who I truly am... I can trust that you won't tell anyone, right?"

"I am quite proficient in keeping secrets," Snape said.

"Good," Merlin said giving him a real smile. "Have a nice day, Professor."

Snape numbly nodded his head and began walking to the door. He turned back to Merlin when he reached the door.

"Just one more question before I leave," Snape said.

"And that is?"

"Are you really as powerful as they say you are?"

Merlin took a moment thinking over how to best answer Snape's question. An idea popped into his mind that made the Warlock smile widely. Without saying a word Merlin's eye's flashed gold.

"You will just have to see for yourself," Merlin said and then turned to walk over towards Arthur. He didn't look back until he heard the door close and Snape was gone.

* * *

Snape was back in his chambers. He wasn't pacing this time, though. The potions master was now sitting numbly on his sofa as he thought over what Michael - no, Merlin - said to him. Snape was okay with the fact that he was actually The Merlin and Alden was actually The King Arthur. After all these years of being a double spy against Voldemort, Snape could come to terms with shocking news quicker than most could. What was really bugging him was what Merlin said about forgiveness and second chances.

_Can I really forgive myself?_

Snape sighed as he looked down to his covered arm.

_Is it even possible to forgive myself when my greatest mistake is literally forever tattooed into my skin?_

Snape was also unsure about Merlin's answer to his last question. He didn't know what he meant when he said that Snape would just have to see for himself.

He slowly pulled his sleeve up to see the failure that marked his skin. He stared wide-eyed at his uncovered forearm. The Dark Mark was gone.

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**I hope that you liked this chapter and the alternating view points. Please leave a review. I love hearing from you all!**

**Thanks for reading.**

**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**

* * *

**Updated: 1/4/15**


	23. Chapter 23: Frustrations

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**Arthur's Note:**

**Here is the next chapter! Enjoy!**

**Beta Reader: les-revolutionnaires**

* * *

Days flew by and quickly transformed into weeks. Samhain was quickly approaching making Merlin more fidgety. He knew the Golden Trio suspected something was up. They started to have more hushed conversations than they have had previously. Merlin feared that they were growing more suspicious of him and Arthur. Snape didn't help quell their suspicions at all. In fact, he ramped them up. Though Snape did admirably in treating them the same way as he did before he found out about their true identities, there were a few slip ups. One major one was during class a few weeks back. His class was the first time that Merlin had seen the Professor after he had removed his Dark Mark. Merlin had never seen such a look on the man's face when Snape looked at him, and the warlock wasn't the only one who noticed. Practically everyone in the classroom saw it.

Thankfully, things got better from there on out. Although, Merlin and Arthur had been spending more time with Snape. Like Merlin predicted, he had many questions about their life during and after Camelot, the Old Religion, magic, and other things. Merlin really enjoyed having someone to talk to about things like that. He finally had someone other than Arthur to talk to, and he could tell that Arthur really enjoyed it as well.

Another thing that they spoke about quite frequently was about Voldemort. It was good to get a new perspective on the subject, and Snape held a great deal of insight on the nature of the Dark Lord since he was once one of his most trusted followers. But apparently Voldemort must have had some doubts as to Severus' loyalty since he didn't tell him anything about the crystal or what he planned to do with it.

Merlin and Arthur visited Kilgharrah and Aithusa a few times to debrief each other about any new information. So far, there had been no sign of any activity on or near the Isle of the Blessed which worried Merlin a bit. He wondered if he was wrong and Voldemort was planning on doing the ritual somewhere else. That worry drove him to visit other places where old magic was relatively strong.

Forgoing his own need to sleep, Merlin took to sneaking out at night to visit these places. He figured that it would raise suspicion if he were to frequently go missing during the day. Sometimes Arthur would go with him, but usually he went by himself. Merlin was okay with his own lack of sleep, but he didn't want Arthur to lose his. Beside, Merlin didn't really need that much sleep. His magic could sustain him, or so he told himself.

At night, Merlin transported himself around, visiting every place that he could thing of where the Old Religion was still strong. None of the places that he visited, though, felt strong enough to where someone could successfully open up the veil.

Merlin slumped down in his seat in the Great Hall and glared at his breakfast. He was utterly exhausted and felt like he was missing something huge. There was something so obvious right in front of him and he was too thick to see it. Merlin practically growled and he stabbed his eggs with his fork and ate them.

"You don't have to eat the eggs if they are that bad, mate," Ron said sitting down beside him. Harry and Hermione sat down across from them.

"It's not the eggs," Merlin said. "I'm just kind of frustrated right now."

Merlin was more than slightly frustrated. His sleep deprived mind was jumping up all of his thoughts, and he could feel a headache beginning to form.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Not really important," Merlin said throwing his forehead down on the table. The cold wood held some relief but not enough to do much help for him. He was most definitely not in the mood to be talking to anyone, too. _Couldn't they see that?_

"Hey guys," Merlin heard Neville say as he sat down somewhere across from him. "What's up with Michael?" he asked not so quietly. Merlin could hear his words perfectly clear even though the boy was trying to prevent that.

Merlin could just visualize the three of them shrugging in response to his question.

"Hey cheer up, mate," Neville said at a normal volume again and apparently directed towards Merlin who still was resting his forehead on the table. "I mean, like, Halloween is in two days. Isn't that at least something to be excited about?"

Merlin couldn't stand it anymore. He needed solitude. Solitude was something that he had to deal with more times that he would care to remember over the past centuries. Merlin never thought that he would ever crave it as desperately as he did now. He couldn't think properly surrounded by so many people.

"That's the problem," he practically growled at the group as he abruptly stood up from the table and stormed away.

* * *

Harry watch Michael angrily leave the Great Hall utterly confused about what just happened. He had been seemingly off for the past week or so, but this was completely unexpected. Michael was someone who was always upbeat and full of smiles, even though Harry suspected that some of them were forced. It was a shock to see him this disgruntled.

"What's his problem?" Ron asked not to kindly.

"Oh, shut it, Ron," Hermione shot back at him. "Couldn't you see that something is deeply upsetting him."

Ron looked down at the table in shame.

"I wonder what's wrong?" Harry said before taking another bite of toast.

"Do you think it has something to do with Halloween?" Neville asked, concern on his face.

Harry thought back to Michael's words before he ran off and quickly came to the conclusion that it Halloween must be playing some sort of role in his foul mood. He wasn't completely sure why Halloween would be so upsetting for him, though.

Nobody had a chance to reply to Neville's question before someone sat down beside Ron, right were Michael had been previously sitting.

"Good morning, everyone. Have any of you seen Michael by chance? I've been looking for him for the past half hour," Alden said picking up a piece of sausage.

"He was just here," Harry said staring at the blond before him.

"Yeah, then he stormed out not too long ago," Ron added.

Harry watched Alden frown while chewing on a piece of his sausage.

"What for?" Alden asked after he finished chewing and swallowed.

"We don't know for sure," Hermione said. "He looked to be in a bad mood when we came in here and sat down, and then after Neville said something about Halloween, he took off."

Alden's face fell. Harry was certain that he knew what was bothering his cousin.

"Do you know why he is acting this way?" Harry pressed.

"Let's just say that Halloween is not a favorite holiday of his. It's not mine either. There are some not so good memories surrounding the holiday, but it effects Michael the worst. He's so hard on himself and has been under a lot of stress recently. Also, I have a bad feeling about this coming Halloween."

Harry nodded his head in somewhat of an understanding. "I can sort of relate," he said thinking back not only to the dangerous Halloweens that he had spent here at Hogwarts, but to the fact that it was the day that his parents died, the day that Voldemort murdered them.

"Well, I'm going to get going," Alden said standing up, a few slices of bread in his hand.

"Going to find Michael?" Hermione asked.

"Nah, I figure he just needs some time alone. I'm going to go to the library. I want to see if I can try and find any more of these books that I'm look for before my first class. I'll catch you guys later."

And just like that, Alden was gone, leaving so soon like his cousin had. In contrast, though, while Michael left scowling, Alden left with a hopeful grin on his face.

"Has anyone else noticed that he has been spending a lot of time in the library recently?" Hermione asked.

As Harry though about it, he agreed with Hermione. Alden did seem to be in the library quite a bit lately. He was always buried really far in the back where all of the extremely old books that no one ever looked at anymore were.

"I wonder why," Harry said.

"I'm wondering more about what he said about having a bad feeling about this Halloween. Do you think that it has anything to do with why we are having an Order meeting tonight? He knows something about what is going to be discussed?" Ron said.

"Maybe," Harry said thoughtfully.

"I heard that it was Professor Snape who called this meeting," Neville chipped in after taking a swig of his pumpkin juice.

"I've noticed that they have been around Snape a lot recently. Maybe he told them something," Hermione said.

"Or they told him something," Harry said, a hardness to his voice.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"I'm mean, we've talked about this. They are definitely hiding something from us. Whose to say that they didn't tell Snape to call a meeting and have him tell everyone whatever it is?"

"I say that we wait until after the meeting to decide that," Hermione said.

"Fine," Harry relented as he finished his breakfast.

_This day better pass quickly_, Harry thought restlessly. He didn't know if he could wait all day for the meeting.

* * *

Merlin sank down onto his knees in the middle of the room. He was in the room of requirement, the one place that he knew he could find some uninterrupted solitude. When he came here and opened the door, his thoughts were so jumbled that he couldn't focus on what type of room that he needed as he walked past it three times. He almost burst into tears due to his unstable emotions when he walked into the room. Apparently, the room decided what he needed most was a place that he would be conformable in – home.

The room was laid out just like Gaius' chamber's back in Camelot, right down to the ever present mess of books, herbs, and bottled potions. Merlin looked to the back as saw the stairs that lead up to where his old bedroom was. He picked himself off the floor and sat down on the familiar bench by the table. He took deep breaths to calm himself down and clear his mind.

He knew that the stress was getting to him. He needed to relax or he would be useless when Samhain rolled around. Merlin closed his tired eyes and sank his head down onto the table like he did back in the Great Hall. He knew that he completely screwed up when talking to them during breakfast and that brought another wave of stress on him.

The ancient warlock sighed and stood up. He wondered around the room looking around. He mentally applauded himself in the creation of the whole room of requirement because the room was able to make Gaius' room look so authentic.

As Merlin walked around the room, he slowly let the weight of the impending Samhain roll off of him by telling himself that he had done all that he could. He had checked out as many places that he could think of and determined that Voldemort couldn't successfully raise someone from the dead fully there. He had Kilgharrah and Aithusa guarding the Isle of the Blessed, the ideal place for Voldemort to perform the ritual. He had even told Snape to tell the members of the Order of the Phoenix to be on high alert during Samhain.

Most of the stress Merlin was feeling evaporated away leaving him felling empty and exhausted. He knew that there was no way that he could go to class today. It wasn't like he even need to. He already knew everything that the Professors were teaching since he had attended so many times already.

Resolute in the fact that he wasn't going to be attending any classes, Merlin trudged his way up the stairs and opened the wooded door to the replica of his old room. He made his way over to the bed and laid down. Merlin was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

**I know that this chapter was a slow one, but I hope that you all liked it anyway. Thing will pick up from here, though.**

**Please leave a review! I absolutely love reading them!**

**Thanks for reading.**

**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**


	24. Chapter 24: The Order Meeting

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* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry about the long delay between chapters. Classes have just started back up for me, so things have been a bit hectic. Also, I am posting this chapter un-betaed right now. I will update it as soon as it is edited.**

* * *

**Update:**

**This chapter has now be edited.**

**Beta Reader: les-revolutionnaires**

* * *

Arthur wasn't worried when Merlin didn't show up to any classes. He was actually relieved because he knew that it meant the idiot was finally getting the sleep that he needed. The others didn't share his thoughts, though. Hermione kept pestering him on were Merlin was. She was fretting and no amount of reassuring that Arthur did seemed to work to dispel her worry, prompting him to just start avoiding her. He was also avoiding Harry and Ron. They too were asking nonstop questions as to the whereabouts of his supposed cousin, but Arthur got the feeling that the questions stemmed more from suspicion than concern.

It wasn't until dinner time that anyone saw Merlin. Arthur was sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall a good length down the table from Harry and the others when Merlin sat down unexpectedly beside him. Arthur looked over at him and smirked. He was right. Merlin looked refreshed and actually happy.

"You're looking better now," Arthur said while spreading butter on his roll.

Merlin smiled but didn't say anything as he helped himself to some food. Once he had chicken, mashed potatoes, and various vegetables on his plate, he spoke. "I feel a lot better, too. Did I miss anything?"

"There was nothing taught in class that we don't know. That lot," Arthur said guesting to the group that consisted of Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna," wouldn't stop asking about where you were all day."

"So nothing good?" Merlin asked with a smile.

"Oh, I did find something in the library, though," he said pulling out a rather large leather bound book. "I haven't found any more of Gwen's journals, but I did find this. Look at the name written on the inside of the front cover."

Merlin took the book and opened it up. Arthur watched as his eyes lit up with recognition. His head shot up and they locked eyes. "This belonged to Gaius!"

"Yup," Arthur said smiling. "It was one of his many medical books, I guess. He didn't write it, but he did make his own notes in the margins of the pages. I thought you would have liked to see it."

"You thought right," Merlin said, running his finger over the faded ink of Gaius' name. Arthur greatly missed Gaius, but he knew that he was nowhere near missing him as much as Merlin did. Gaius was like a father to Merlin and more than two thousand years was nowhere near long enough to stop grieving. "Thank you," he said, his eyes beginning to water.

"What are you reading?"

Both Arthur's and Merlin's heads shot up to see Hermione taking the seat across the table from them. He heard the book snap shut and saw Merlin hold it close to him out of the corner of his eye.

"Just some boring medical book," Merlin said.

Hermione gave Merlin a look that showed them both that she didn't really believe him but let the subject drop.

"Where were you all day, Michael. You didn't come to any classes today."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was just extremely tired and pretty much slept all day."

Hermione gave him a doubtful look. "Ron said that you weren't in your bed."

"I was sleeping in the Room of Requirement. I didn't want anyone waking me up and forcing me to go to class," Merlin said with a cheeky smile making Arthur laugh. Hermione seemed to accept this answer.

"There's an Order meeting tonight. I assume both of you are going," she said.

"Wouldn't miss it for anything," Arthur said before resuming eating his dinner.

"Do you know what it is going to be about," she asked, a strange tone in her voice.

Arthur instantly knew that she was fishing for something. What it was, he didn't know.

"Don't know," he replied. "Do you know?"

Hermione gave Arthur a hard look. She seemed to be assessing him, trying to figure out if he was actually telling the truth. Arthur pretended to not notice it and act like he was focused on eating.

A few moments passed where the only noise coming from any of them were the sounds of chewing and the occasional gulp of a drink.

"Well, I guess that we will all just find out later tonight, then," she said. "I'll see you both later."

Arthur and Merlin both had the mouth full of food, so they just nodded her a goodbye.

"Something's up," Merlin said once she was out of earshot.

"Do you think that we should be worried?" Arthur asked after he swallowed.

"I don't know about you, but I've stopped worrying now. Samhain is almost here. We have bigger things to worry about."

Arthur looked over at Merlin and saw a new sort of determination in him. Merlin looked back at him and gave him a silent 'what about you'. Arthur gave him a short nod and a small smile. They did have bigger things to worry about, and now Merlin was seeing that maybe hiding their true identities wasn't as big of a deal as they had previously thought. It turned out well with Snape, so maybe it would turn out well with everyone else, or at least that is what he hoped.

* * *

Harry watched as Hermione left the table to go talk to Alden and Michael, who finally decided to make an appearance today.

"Look who's back," Harry said leaning over to Ron, who's attention was only on the large amount of food before him.

Ron looked up startled.

"What did you say?" he asked.

Harry didn't even bat an eye at the fact that Ron was talking with food still in his mouth. He just jerked his head to the right. Harry continued looking at Ron while Ron leaned to looked around him. When Ron's eyes went big, Harry knew that he saw Michael.

"What the blood hell," Ron said swallowing the food in his mouth. "He's gone all day and then just shows up at dinner all fine?"

"Nothing looks wrong with him. I wonder why he was gone all day."

"Hermione is coming back. I bet she found out why," Ron said.

Hermione walked back over to them and sat down in her seat.

"What excuse did he give for being missing all day?" Ron questioned before Hermione was fully seated.

"He said that he was sleeping the entire time."

"Bullshit! His bed was empty. I checked," Ron said angered.

"Well, did you check the Room of Requirement? That's where he said he was," Hermione huffed.

Ron shut his mouth.

"Do you believe him?" Harry asked her.

"Actually, I think that I do. I mean did you see him yesterday? He looked dead on his feet. I don't really blame him for catching up on his sleep. Although, I do not condone the fact that he skipped classes to do so."

Harry nodded his head. He did't like it, but he found himself agreeing with Hermione.

"Regardless of what he did or didn't do, they are up to something," she continued.

"Maybe we'll find out during this meeting. It starts in what? A little over an hour?" Ron said.

Hermione checked her watched and then nodded.

Harry looked back over to Michael and Alden. They both looked to be done eating. They had pushed away their plates and now had a book opened up between them. He stared as the cousins read and talked. Harry was angry at them because he had no doubt that they were lying to everyone, but looking at them now, he felt sort of guilty. They both looked so sad at the moment. Melancholy seemed to just surround them as they flipped through the worn pages of the book.

"What are they reading," Harry asked Hermione, not talking his eyes off the two.

"They wouldn't tell me," she said looking up at Harry. "Michael said that it was just some boring medical book."

It didn't look like a simply boring medical book by the looks of their faces. Harry didn't know what it was that they were reading, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

* * *

Snape walked briskly down the corridors towards the Headmaster's office, the office that had been his for a short period of time. It now belonged to Minerva. He didn't really care too much about losing the job to her. Although he would never actually admit it out loud, he felt that the job was better suited for her than for him.

After giving the password to the gargoyle, he quickly made his way up the stairs and threw the office door open. He knew that it was slightly dramatic, but he was always one for dramatic entrances.

The Potion's Master noticed that he was the last one to arrive. Everyone was standing around talking but instantly went quiet as he entered.

"Glad that you could join us," Minerva said showing her annoyance at his tardiness.

"Shall we get going," ha countered, intentionally ignoring her comment.

She picked up the floo powder and held it out for the Weasley girl first. One by one, the students took a handful of power and stepped into the fireplace, disappearing into the green flames. Snape was the second to last person to go, the Headmistress herself being the last one.

They all arrived at the Black's Family Home of Grimmauld Place, the usual meeting place for the Order or the Phoenix. Not every member showed up to each meeting. There wasn't enough room for everyone, and people sometimes couldn't make it at some meeting because they were busy. In the end, they mainly relied on the people who did show up, to spread the word. Even though the kitchen was magically expanded, it was still packed which wasn't unusual.

Kingsley started off the meeting as per usual. He asked multiple people around the room for a report on anything new. Half an hour and a little over a dozen people later, the general consensus was that there wasn't any major activity going on. A few people reported saying that they did uncover some activity on Death Eaters recruiting more people, but there have been no real attacks or anything.

"It's like they are still waiting for something big to happen," one woman reported.

"I believe that you have something to say on that, Severus," Kingsley said direction everyone's attention to the man.

Snape kept his facial expression stoic as ever while the entire rooms attention was on him. He felt a tickle of nervousness but instantly pushed it aside as he reminded himself that this was in no way worse than any meeting that he attended with the Dark Lord.

"I have reason to believe that what you fear to happen will take place on the day of Halloween," he said in his usual drawl.

"How did you come across this information," a man from the back spoke up.

"Although I am no longer in direct contact with the Dark Lord, I do know some people who are willing to give me the information I seek."

"And your contact said he will make his move on Halloween?" Kingsley asked. "Are you sure?"

Snape looked around the room at everyone's faces, lingering on Arthur and Merlin.

"Yes, I am."

"Who is this person, and can he be trusted?" another person asked.

"I have given my word not to divulge the identity of any of my contacts, but I can assure you that this information is sound. He is to be trusted."

Snape caught a glimpse of the small smiles on the faces of Merlin and Arthur. He almost smiled in return but stopped himself before he did so. It would do no good for him to start randomly smiling at the moment.

"What should we do," a voice directly beside him asked. Snape looked over to see Sirius.

"Prepare for whatever may happen. Spread the word and be on guard."

Many people nodded in agreement.

"That can easily be done," Kingsley said. "Would anyone else like to add anything to this meeting?"

There were a few murmurs, but nobody stepped forward to say anything.

"Then I believe we can draw this meeting to a close."

People began to get up and leave. Some people stayed seated and talked together in groups. Even Kingsley walked to another part of the kitchen to talk a little more to some people.

Snape was the first one to floo back to Hogwarts. Once he arrived, he quickly strode out of the room. He wanted to be gone before anyone else arrived. In a short amount of time, he was back in his chambers. He too needed to prepare for Samhain.

* * *

**I hope that you enjoyed it. Please leave me a review.**

**Also, if you are a fan of Supernatural and Criminal Minds, I encourage you to check out my new story 'Revelations about the Winchesters'. I started writing the story on a whim after the idea for it struck me while re-watching a Criminal Minds episode.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**

* * *

**Updated: 1/25/15**


	25. Chapter 25: Samhain

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* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry about this chapter taking so long to come out. I have be drowning in class work and haven't had the time to write. Hopefully the length of this chapter will make up for it!**

**This chapter has not been betaed yet, but I will update it as soon as it has.**

* * *

**Update:**

**This chapter has now been edited.**

**Beta Reader: les-revolutionnaires**

* * *

Arthur was on edge all throughout class, and he wasn't the only one. Today was Samhain.

After the Order meeting, word of what may happen today spread through the entire Order, reaching many of the teachers at Hogwarts. Harry's group of friends were the only ones in the Order and thus knew what was going on, but all of the other students looked uneasy as well. Arthur figured that they were sensing it from the teachers. In all, the entire castle was thick with tension, making Arthur just about go stir crazy, and Merlin wasn't there to help him.

They decided the night before that it wouldn't be good if both of them skipped classes today, but someone need to be on the Isle of the Blessed to catch Voldemort, preventing him from raising someone from the dead. The decision was then that Merlin would feign sick in order to get out of classes and go to the Isle. As soon as classes were done, both Arthur and Snape would come out as well.

Arthur wasn't all that sure that he wanted the Professor to come with him, but Snape pretty much gave them no choice when they told him of their plan. It was lucky that they both finished early today and at relatively the same time.

As soon as his last class was over, Arthur practically ran out of the room. He quickly made his way across the castle, careful that no one was following him, and made it to the Room of Requirement. This was where he was to meet Snape.

When he walked in, he saw that Snape was already there and waiting for him.

"Are you ready," Arthur asked.

"I suppose," Snape said.

"Good, now hold on to my arm tightly. Transporting is a lot more pleasant than apparating, but it still doesn't feel completely great."

Snape didn't say anything in response. He didn't even hesitate when grabbing a hold of Arthur's forearm.

"_Bedyrne ús! Astýre ús þanonweard!_" Arthur said, his eyes flashing gold. The two of the disappeared in a whirlwind.

* * *

Snape sat on a large rock surrounded by the rubble that covered the Isle of the Blessed.

"It's almost midnight, and there is nobody except for us here," Arthur said frustrated.

"It doesn't make any sense," Merlin said as he paced back and forth. "There is nobody alive today that can use the crystal."

"You can," Snape interjected.

"Yeah, but they don't know that I'm Merlin," he said dismissively. "So the crystal is useless to them if they don't get someone with the power to use it. The best place to go to bring someone back from the dead is right here because it is drenched in Old Religion magic. If he wants to open up the veil, then he needs the Old Religion to do it."

"It's the best place but not the only one," Snape said. " Maybe the Dark Lord knew that the Isle would be too obvious and decided to perform the ritual somewhere else."

"I've checked every place that I could think of that would have pure Old Religion, but practically none of the places had strong enough magic there.

"Practically none?" he questioned. "You mean that there are other places."

"There are only two other places that the Old Religion is as strong as it is here, but I highly doubt that Voldemort would go to either."

Snape gave Merlin a questioning look, prompting him to explain more.

"The Crystal cave is a good place to go, but if Voldemort knew the location of the cave, he wouldn't have gone to all that trouble to find the crystal he took from Hogwarts. Also, I would know if someone other than me stepped into the caves. He's not there. The Lake of Avalon is another place he could go. Just like the Isle of the Blessed, it is an old and scared place rampant with old magic and untouched by new magic. "

"That sounds like an ideal place. Why wouldn't he go there?"

"The Lady of the Lake," Arthur answered.

"Correct," Merlin said. "She watches over the lake, and I know for a fact that she wouldn't let anything like that happen in her lake."

Snape frowned at the way the Merlin spoke of the Lady of the Lake. His voice was different. It also sounded like he knew her personally which wasn't what really struck Severus; It was the fact the it sounded like a more intimate knowing.

"Besides," Merlin continued. "I have Kilgharrah and Aithusa watching those places right now. I haven't received any word from either of them, meaning that no one has showed there either.

"What about places that don't necessarily have just old magic?"

"Like one that has a mixture of old and new?" Arthur asked.

"Would it work at a place like that?"

Merlin walked over and sat down across from Snape and threw his head in his hands.

"It would be extremely risky," Merlin said. "There would be no guarantee that it would even work."

"But wouldn't Voldemort need the new magic? He doesn't have the ability to use old magic, correct?"

Snape saw Merlin's head shoot up.

"I'm such an idiot! I never even thought of that!"

* * *

Voldemort walked across the cold, rock ground in the expansive cave. Some of his followers were walking around as well. They were double checking to make sure that the place was devoid of people, and taking up position to ensure that no one came in while the ritual took place. The place was enormous, but if what he found out was correct, the cave needed to be.

The Dark Lord stopped walking when he reached a stone alter that was of his own making. It was a simple thing, but it played an important role in what he was about to do. He had been planing this for a long time, hammering out the details to ensure that everything went accordingly. He had the crystal. Now, he just needed someone that could wield it.

The overview of the plan was simple. He would open up the veil by sacrificing one of his followers while reciting a Latin version of an Old Religion spell that he found (He couldn't wield old magic, so he had to use a new magic version of the same spell.). If he did it correctly, the veil would open up to allow the person he summoned from the spirit world to come out. Then he would have another one of his followers to walk through the veil to close it once again.

Everything looked to be going as he hoped. The time was drawing closer to midnight.

The two followers that were going to be sacrificed by the end of the night stepped up to him. Voldemort could easily see the fear in their eyes and laughed at their cowardice. He didn't have any sympathy for them, especially since they weren't doing this solely based on their devotion to him. They were pathetically trying to keep their families safe by obeying him.

A few minutes later everyone was in place. Voldemort stood beside the altar that now had a man lying down on it and addressed all of his followers.

"What we are doing tonight will be the turning point of the war. We have the crystal, and soon we will have a person who can use it. Together, we can ensure that we win this war. "

A cheer erupted through the cold, damp air.

Voldemort turned to the altar, his wand in one hand and a dagger in the other. The time had come. Yelling out the spell, the Dark Lord drove the dagger through the man on the altar's chest and pointed his wand out in the direction of the center of the cave. A light blue jet of power burst out of the tip of his wand and flew through the air. It stopped about twenty feet away and shot upwards.

With the spell complete, Voldemort staggered to the ground but looked up to see his work. The vertical blue light had split and spread open to reveal an inky blackness between it. Slowly something came into view in the darkness or rather someone.

The information that he had collected on this individual had not prepared him on how she looked. She stepped out of the veil, her bare feet coming into contact with the cold stone. She wore a long dress that was ripped at the bottom, but her face was absolutely mesmerizing.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, my lady," Voldemort said standing back up.

She just smirked in response.

* * *

Merlin hated himself for being so stupid. Oh course, Voldemort needed some new magic to perform the spell. He had no clue on how he could have missed something so obvious.

"What would be the best place for him to go that has a strong mixture of both magics?" Snape asked.

"Camelot," both Merlin and Arthur said in unison.

"Camelot is still around?" Snape asked, surprise in his voice.

"It's in ruins," Arthur said. "There is barely anything left of it above ground. I bet the only thing left of Camelot is Kilgharrah's cave, and that is only if they could find it. Camelot's location has been lost to everyone for centuries, hidden. Even if someone were to stumble across it somehow, odds are they wouldn't even know what it once was."

"If the Dark Lord found the ruins of Camelot, could he perform the ritual there and succeed?"

"I don't know," Merlin said. "It's possible, but highly unlikely. Voldemort would have to first find the place which is something that wizards and witches have been failing to do since the Kingdom fell."

"The Dark Lord has managed to accomplish many things that were believed to be impossible before."

"This is true," Arthur said.

"We need to go there now before..."

Merlin's words were cut off when a wave of icy coldness hit him. Although he didn't hear and screams or 'see' the Cailleach, it felt exactly the same as it did when the veil opened back in Camelot. Time slowed down around him, and his legs seemed to give up on him. The last thought that Merlin had before he hit the ground was that he failed.

* * *

Snape watched as Merlin fell down.

"What happened?" he asked Arthur.

"Damn it! The veil has already been opened!"

Snape bent down to check on the fallen Warlock. He quickly retracted his hand as soon as he touched the boy.

"He's freezing cold. What's going on?"

"Merlin has a very strong connection to the Old Religion. Opening the veil caused a huge disturbance, and he is feeling the effects of that. It is so big that he is even physically effected by it. The same thing happened the last time the veil was opened back in Camelot."

"What are we going to do?"

"Merlin is going to be fine, but he is in no condition to fight right now. Take him back to the Order. Don't tell them very much, though. Wait until I get there or Merlin wakes up."

"What are you going to do?" Snape asked, even though he was very sure that he already knew the answer.

"It looks like I have to go visit the ruins of my old Kingdom," he said with a grim face. Speaking the words that Snape had heard before, Arthur's eyes flashed gold, and he disappeared in a whirlwind.

Snape mentally cursed his luck before turning his full attention onto the fallen form in front of him. Merlin was still unconscious and shivering on the ground. The Potion's Master bent back down and scooped him up into his arms. He couldn't help but think about how strange it was that he was carrying a centuries old, most powerful warlock to ever live like he was a small child. Merlin being so light weight didn't help either.

Deciding to not waste anymore time, Snape apparated to the Grimmauld Place. He landed in the kitchen and set Merlin atop the table.

"What happened!?" said a voice behind Snape.

He turned to see a frantic looking Mrs. Weasley.

"I will explain later. Right now, we need to get him some blankets."

* * *

Merlin woke up to find himself on a hard table and wrapped in blankets. It took him a minute to figure out where he was. When he figured out that he was in the kitchen in the house that belonged to Sirius, he also realized that he wasn't alone in the room. He didn't know why he didn't notice them before. Apparently he didn't register the loud arguing that was taking place when he woke up.

Slowly, he sat up into a sitting position and pulled the heavy blanked around his body tighter. He still felt really cold. A golden flash of his eyes later, and he was feeling much better, not completely, though. He kept the blanket on.

"You're up!" Mrs. Weasley said rushing over to him. "No, no. You should probably lay back down," she continued while she tried to gently push him back down.

"I'm fine," Merlin said blocking the hand.

"Fine!? You were just unconscious and freezing cold!"

"I'm not anymore," he retorted, grabbing her hands with his own to let her feel the warmth that he now had.

"See," he said, looking her in the eyes. He wsaw them soften, but determination and worry were still strong.

"If he wants to get up, then let him get up, Molly," Lupin said. Merlin was slightly taken aback by the anger that was in his voice. "He needs to explain since Snape won't say anything."

Merlin looked from the angry man over to Snape who stood calm and void of emotion like always.

"You know what's going on don't you? You and your cousin disappeared! You were probably out there aiding the attacks!"

"Attacks?" Merlin said confused.

"Mr. Emerson, if you know anything about them, you need to tell us," McGonagall said sternly.

"But what attacks? What's going on."

"It seems that a number of groups of Death Eaters have been and currently are randomly attacking various magically and non-magical places," Snape answered.

"I have nothing to do with that. I'm on your side!"

"Then where were you two, and where is Alden," Lupin asked.

Merlin closed his eyes and tried to think. Everything was going wrong, and it was his fault. He couldn't look at the others in the room He didn't need to see the look of concern on Mrs. Weasley's and McGonagall's faces, the look of anger on Lupin's and Sirius', or the look of suspicion he was getting from the Golden Trio and Ginny. He needed to think.

First he thought about what Voldemort was doing. The attacks were most likely diversions to keep the Order and those who aren't corrupt in the ministry busy just in case they had any clue about where he himself was. Hopefully Arthur was trying to take care of that. Merlin wasn't to leave right then to go help him, but he was still feeling weak and didn't want to just up and leave the people around him right now. Things were damaged enough as it was.

Merlin also couldn't just go out and tell them the truth about who he was and what he was doing. They probably needed to know now, but he couldn't just out right tell them. The best way for them to find out would be them figuring it out themselves like Snape did.

"Who the bloody hell are you!?"

Ron's words made Merlin's eyes snap open. He and everyone else all turned to see a women at the other end of the table. Everyone instinctively drew their wands at them. If it were another time, Merlin would have laughed. Their magic could do nothing to her.

"Emrys," the woman said, her voice sounding as if they were coming from the depths of the Earth.

Merlin stood up and walked the length of the table. He wasn't all that surprised to see her. As he got closer she moved so that when he stopped walking, they were directly across from one another like they were back long ago on the Isle of the Blessed except it was a table between them and not an altar.

"Cailleach," he said bowing his head slightly.

"It's been a long time," she said a hint of amusement in her dead and pain filled eyes.

"Yes, it has been," he replied, un-suppressed anger in his voice.

"I see that you are still angry about what happen with your friend," she said simply.

Merlin was angry about a lot of things right now, and the memory of Lancelot sacrifice himself to keep Merlin from doing the same wasn't helping.

"He didn't have to die. " he said.

"Even if he didn't die, he would have been long dead by now anyway, so what does it matter anyhow?"

"It matters," Merlin said though gritted teeth. "But there is something else that matters even more right now. There is a reason why you came here. What is it?"

"The veil has been open once more. It has been closed again, but something happen in between the two that should not have."

"Someone came back."

She nodded.

"I knew that it was going to happen, but we were at the wrong place. How did it even happen?"

"That does not matter," she said. "It only matters that it did. Someone came back and that is not supposed to happen this way. The balance is off more than it has ever have been before. It is up to you, Emrys, to restore it."

"Meaning it's my job to kill whoever was brought back."

"Precisely. It is also fitting that you were the one to send her kill her the first time."

Merlin looked at her, a name on the tip of his tongue. She spoke before he could say it.

"It is not who think it is."

"Then who is it," he said slightly confused.

"Nimueh."

"Her!? She's the one that Voldemort brought back? I never even considered…"

"Yes, it seems that this mortal continues to do what you do not expect him to do. Nimueh will undoubtedly do the same. She will not be as easily defeated this time either, so be wary, Emrys."

"Why are you helping me? You didn't help before. I remember you laughing when I told you that innocent people were dying. You don't care about the living, and it was you who demanded a blood-sacrifice, not the spirits."

"That is all true. It is not the dorocha that have come out this time, though. I was shoved aside while someone was pulled back into the land of the living, and I shall not allow that to continue," she said before turning away from him. She then focused on Harry further down the table.

"You have a destiny as well, one that you must not fail. Tom Riddle has evaded me for too long."

"And who are you exactly," Harry questioned, uneasiness on his face.

"I am the Cailleach. I am the gatekeeper to the spirit world. You are Harry Potter, the one who will send Tom Riddle to the spirit world once and for all."

"Why does it have to be me?"

"Because it is your destiny, and destiny is not easily escaped. Isn't that right, Emrys?"

Everyone turned back to Merlin. He was trembling slightly, but it wasn't because of the cold.

* * *

Harry was having a hard time wrapping his head around the whole conversation. So much of it wasn't making any sense at all. Then he was completely caught off guard when the lady — The Cailleach — spoke to him. It seemed like this entire conversation was just one giant shock after the next. The newest shock was the look in Michael's eyes at the moment. There was so much rage and hurt and sadness and loss in them. Harry could have never even dreamed off such intense emotions coming from Michael, who was never short of a smile or laugh. Sure he had his low moments since they met, but they weren't ever even close to this. Even Michael's words were heavily laced with negative emotions.

"You know, I've learned a lot since that day when everything changed, and I've had a long time to think it over. Destiny is a terrible and practically inescapable thing when you are presented with one. I was told that I fulfilled my last destiny, but look at my reward. It's not a reward, it's punishment, and without thinking about the consequences, I condemned my best friend to the same fate. Now after everything I've done and been through, I am expected to do more. I won't do anything anymore without knowing that I will get something in return this time."

"I see you have changed since the last time we spoke. What happened to the boy who was willing to die to save the innocent, to save Arthur?"

"He went through hell."

"And what is it that you are wanting?"

"I think that you know very well what I want — what we both want."

"I see."

"Are you willing to allow us what we are both wanting?"

Harry held his breath. He was clueless to what Michael was asking for, but he had a bad feeling about it. Aside from the bad feeling, Harry's heart ached in response to hearing just the pain in Michael's voice and was surprised that it was influencing him so greatly. The young wizard glanced at a few other faces and found out that he was not the only one affected. Mrs. Weasley had silent tears rolling down her face, and Sirius looked almost heart broken.

Harry turned back towards The Cailleach just in time to see her nod her consent. "Succeed and I will grant both of your wishes, Emrys."

Michael gave her a respectful bow of his head, and then she was gone. There was not sound, no flash of light, nothing at all. She simply just wasn't there anymore.

* * *

Hermione followed the conversation with interest and devastation. She listened intently the entire time, making sure that she memorized every word. There was so much information crammed into every word of the conversation that it was too much to process it all then, so she decided to absorb as much of it as possible and think about it when she had more time.

The room fell into absolute silence after the departure of the lady — The Cailleach. No one even moved. They all just stared at Michael, who now had a small smile on his face that was slowly growing larger.

The silence was broken when the door to the kitchen slammed open. Alden stood in the door way clutching the shirt of an angry looking man.

"What happened?" Michael asked him.

"By the time I got there, Voldemort and whoever he raised was gone, but not everyone had left. He looked to hold some sort of higher position than the rest," he said giving the man he was holding at firm shake. "I thought he could give us some answers."

"I think it is you who needs to give us some answers," Lupin said. "How did you find him in the first place?"

"The answer to that will come, but first I would like to get this Death Eater tied up. There are more pressing matters at the moment."

Lupin looked furious as he opened his mouth to speak again, but he was cut off by Kingsley.

"Remus, why don't you and Sirius go take the man that Mr. Penn has brought into another room and try to find out what information he hold."

Hermione watched as Sirius walked over to Lupin and nudged him to walk. Together, they took the Death Eater from Alden's hold and disappeared down the hall. She could tell that neither nor them were happy with being assigned this task.

"Before the questions begin," Alden said as he walked fully into the room and sat down, "did I miss anything?"

"Cailleach came," Michael answered.

Hermione was surprise to see Alden's face darken. It appeared that Michael wasn't the only one who wasn't happy with the woman. Hermione's conclusion brought up a huge question: How did they even know the gate keeper to the spirit world personally?

"Did she come to laugh again and demand another innocent person to die?" he spat out.

"Quite the opposite actually. She came to give helpful information. I know who Voldemort brought back."

"Who?"

"Nimueh."

Hermione had no clue who they were talking about, but she was beginning to become really confused. They said earlier that Voldemort would raise someone who could use the crystal, but that someone had to be a person that was powerful wizard or witch that practiced the magic of the Old Religion. Those who practiced the Old Religion were the Druids and they died out a long time ago, way before either of the cousins were born, and yet the spoke as if they knew this person just as personally as they did with The Cailleach.

"Who is Nimueh?" Tonks asked.

"Very bad news," Alden replied.

"Oh, there is one more thing," Michael said before grabbing Alden and pulling him away from everyone else. Once they were out of ear shot, they began to whisper to one another.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Ron whispered.

Hermione turned to face the rest of the group.

"First they knew where to find out where Voldemort was when no one else could find him. Then they know some creepy old lady who is a bloody death gatekeeper. Now they both know whoever this Nimueh person is. Who are these guys, and how much do they know?" he continued.

"Don't forget that they are our side, Weasley," Snape sneered.

"And how much do you know about them," Tonks snapped.

"You were the one who brought Mr. Emerson here, were you not," McGonagall added.

Just then, the door to the kitchen opened back up, and Lupin and Sirius walked back in.

"He's not going to say anything," Sirius informed everyone.

Hermione saw both of the cousin's heads abruptly turn their heads in his direction out of the corner of her eye. They both looked pretty angry, especially Michael.

"We are going to have to try some other way to get him to talk."

"No need," Michael said, a dark edge in his voice. "I can get him to talk."

* * *

Merlin stormed into the darkened room, the door slamming shut behind him. With a quick golden flash of his eyes, the lock engaged, effectively keeping everyone out. He could hear a multitude of people banging on the door, yelling for him to open it up. He also heard them trying but failing to cast a spell to break Merlin's own spell to unlock the door. He ignored it all and instead focused on the tied up man before him.

"Like I told your friends, I'm not talking," the Death Eater said trying to look defiant. The man straightened up and puffed out his chest in an effort to look mighty, but his eye betrayed him. He was terrified.

Merlin's eyes flashed gold and the man was violently ripped from the chair in which he was sitting on and flew backwards until he hit the wall hard. Merlin was on him before the man could catch his breath. Merlin put his arm across the man's collarbones and pushed into him even though the man was already firmly held against the wall by magic. Merlin could clearly detect more fear in his eyes.

"You better listen because I am only going to say this once. A long time ago, I used to have so much mercy. But after so many years of my mercy coming back to haunt me, no more. You will answer any and all questions that you are asked," Merlin said, his eyes still shining gold.

He briefly imagined what he looked like to the man in front of him. He figured that he probably didn't even look human. Then again, was he really human anymore? He had live through so much, seen so much death but couldn't die himself. He also had power like no one could ever dream of having themselves.

"You shouldn't fear Voldemort, you should fear me," Merlin continued. "I can do things so much worse than him, and I am more determined than he is to win this war. Do you understand?"

Merlin pushed harder into him trying to get his point across. He needed this man to talk. He needed any information he could get to aid in the fight against Voldemort and Nimueh. He was so close to completing his destiny, and this man had the audacity to stand in his way.

The Death Eater weakly nodded, and Merlin relinquished both his physical and magical hold on the man causing him to slump down to the ground. The warlock then stalked out of the room, not even glancing back at the man who was now curled up into the fetal position on the dirty floor. He jerked open the door and walked passed the crowd that had gathered outside of the room.

"He will tell you everything that you want to know now," he said over his shoulder as he walked away from everyone, not even making eye contact with anyone.

Merlin walked back in the kitchen to see Arthur seated at the table alone. He was satisfied that Arthur didn't try to stop him before and decided to wait for him to come back instead. It seemed that a lot of the times, Arthur knew exactly what Merlin wanted of him.

"Good. You're done," Arthur said standing up. "What now? Go to Camelot to see it there are any clues?"

Merlin nodded. Arthur even knew what he wanted to do next. Together, they transported away before anyone could reach the kitchen to question them.

* * *

**I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and liked the length of it. This chapter is by far the longest that I have done, and hopefully the rest of the chapters will be the same way. Please leave a review. I like to hear what you think about this chapter as well as the story overall so far.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**

* * *

**Bedyrne ús! Astýre ús þanonweard! - teleportation spell**

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**Updated: 1/27/15**


	26. Chapter 26: True Identities

**Replies to Reviews:**

**VasHappeninTeam: Thank you so much! I glad that you liked the way that I wrote him. I tried to keep it sort of like that, so I hope that you like it.**

**IndiaMoore: Well, you will see just how frustrated they are in this chapter.**

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**WhistlingWolf: Cailleach certainly knows what Merlin and Arthur wants, so no worries about that. You will just have to read on to find out about the Order's reactions.**

**Signal27: I don't plan on Nimueh bringing back anyone else, but she definitely will be more powerful than she was before. She also won't be the one to "out" Merlin, but she will certainly give the something to be suprised about in a future chapter. I'm sorry that it took so long to update. I hope that it was worth the wait.**

**mokona-pyuh: No spoilers on the fate of Merlin and Arthur, but Snape will definitely be in a tough spot.**

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**ILikeHotDogs: Oh, they will definitely think that something it up.**

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**consultingsorcererof221B: You did admirably in your dare! There is no need to apologize.**

**Boudicca1: Yeah, same here. I thought bring Nimueh instead of Morgana would be a refreshing change.**

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* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Surprise! I'm not dead! I am beyond sorry that it too so long to post this chapter. I have had a hell of a lot of things on my plate lately with classes. Honestly, I've only gotten to write this chapter because of the university cancelled classes due to snow. Since I have some time off, I am spending it writing and will hopefully have the next chapter up shortly.**

**Beta Reader: les-revolutionnaires**

* * *

"So this is where it all went down," Merlin said slowing spinning around, looking at the large cavern he was currently standing in. The place seemed bigger than it did when Camelot was still standing, but he could easily recognize where he was. It also didn't take him long to see where Kilgharrah was once chained up.

"Yup. He did it right there," Arthur said, pointing to an altar.

Merlin walked over and began to inspect it. It was made of stone that didn't match the natural rock of the cave meaning that it was of Voldemort's creation. Other than the altar, the place was devoid of any other evidence. In all actuality, the only thing that even suggested what happened here was the dark crimson stain that spread across the top of the altar, running down the sides.

"There is nothing here that can help us," Arthur said. "It looks like he only used this place briefly to bring Nimueh back."

"His base of operations is somewhere else," Merlin concluded.

"Probably some sort of residential home."

"Do you think that he is staying at the house owned by one of his followers?"

"Not right now, no. He'd want to be somewhere completely off the radar."

Merlin nodded, still looking around.

"We're going to have to go back and face them sooner or later," Arthur continued.

"I know. I just…" Merlin's voice trailed off.

"I feel the same. After so long of hiding our true identities, it's hard to finally come clean."

"Yeah."

Arthur walked over to his best friend and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze of support.

"Let's get this over with," Arthur said.

* * *

Harry watched as Sirius and Lupin both walked back into the kitchen looking pale.

"What happened?" Kingsley asked.

"He told us everything," Lupin said shocked.

"Everything that he knew at least. It wasn't much," Sirius said.

"You should have seen him. Before, he was tight lipped and arrogant about it. Just now, he was a nervous wreck and spewing out every single thing that he knew," Lupin continued.

"Whatever Michael did or said to him made the Death Eater more scared of the boy than Voldemort," Sirius said.

"Do you have any idea what happened?" McGonagall asked.

"He wouldn't say," Sirius said. "He just kept telling us that he was sorry that he made him angry by getting in his way."

Silence fell in the room at Harry's godfather's words. The wheels in Harry's head were turning, and he really wanted to know what happened in that locked room.

"What do you think he did, Snape," Harry said, effectively drawing the entire room's attention to the professor. "You know him better than any of us, right?"

"I have no idea," the man said in his deep and slow voice.

"Oh, don't give us that," Sirius shouted out.

"Yeah," Ron piped up. "Don't think that we don't know how close you are with the cousins. We're not idiots. You probably know all of their secrets by now. You just won't tell us. Why?"

"They are not my secrets to tell."

"He's right."

Harry and everyone else whipped their head around at the voice. Alden and Michael stood at the far end of the room, and neither of them looked happy.

"They're our secrets to tell," Alden continued.

"So you have been lying to us!" Ron said, pointing a finger at the two."

"Be sensible, Ron," Hermione said, appearing next to him.

Harry gave her a hard look along with Ron. She and Ginny had practically disappeared as soon as the cousins did. He hadn't seen either of them since.

"Where have you two been?" Harry asked her.

"The library," she replied before turning her attention to Alden and Michael.

Both of the girls were staring at the two but with different expressions. Hermione was good at schooling her features, but Ginny was not. Ron's sister stared wide eyed at the duo. It reminded Harry of the look she gave him when they first meet.

"I'll be honest here and tell you that not everything we have told you has been the truth," Michael said. Ron huffed. "But we were truthful in that we are on your side," he continued.

"Why don't we all sit down and talk about it," Kingsley said moving to the kitchen table. Everyone followed suit.

Harry couldn't help but notice how everyone chose to sit. It turned out to be Michael and Alden on one end of the table with everyone else towards the other end. Snape, of course, was the closest one to the cousins, but surprising not on their end.

"Start talking," Kingsley said.

"I really… It's… I don't really know who to explain it," Michael said rubbing the back of his neck.

"Your real names aren't Alden Penn and Michael Emerson," Hermione said.

"No they are not," Alden said giving her a strange look.

"What are your real names, then, and why lie to us," McGonagall said.

"It's complicated," Alden said.

"We've both had many names over the years. Most of them have been ones that we've given ourselves as disguises, such as Alden and Michael," Michael said.

"Why do you need to hide your real name?" she continued.

"Because how could we have lived our lives if people knew one of our true name?" he practically yelled back.

"Like the name Emrys," Hermione said. "That's one of your real names, right."

"Yes, it is. It was the name the druids gave me."

"The druids?" Lupin asked. "The druids haven't been around for centuries."

"Do you know what the name Emrys means?"

"Immortal," Hermione said.

"How did you come across that information?" he asked.

* * *

Hermione struggled to keep her breathing under control. Her hands were slightly trembling, so she put them in her lap to keep hidden from plain view.

She looked at him, making eye contact. He looked young and broken. Hermione had known for a long time that he was more than what he was claiming to be. Both of them actually. They were very good at hiding it, but she had picked up subtle things every now and then. There was always something holding her back, though. Something holding her back from questioning them relentlessly or digging too deep. She wasn't too sure why, but she did. Instead, she had tried to stay back and collect information when it was presented, and the information that she receive earlier that night was more than enough.

With just a simple name, Hermione dragged Ginny up into the library and began to search. What they found was impossible.

"I read it in a book," Hermione said, answering the question.

"Are you claiming to be immortal?" Lupin asked.

"Let's just say that we are older than we look," Alden said evasively.

"How old then?" Sirius asked.

"Let's just say that I was once friends with the Founders of Hogwarts," Michael said.

"You knew them!" Hermione said. She had absolutely no clue about that.

"They probably wouldn't have been able it build the school if it wasn't for this guy," Alden said, giving him a strong pat on the back. Michael glared back at him.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"It doesn't matter," Michael said.

"Immortality to that extent is practically impossible," Professor McGonagall said. "How did you two manage this?"

"I was cursed and foolishly dragged him in with it."

"Who cursed you? And why?" Kingsley asked.

"The Old Religion and they did it because I failed them."

"You did not…" Alden began.

"You died! How is that not failure, especially since everything that had happened since then."

"What do you mean he died?" Hermione asked. "He's alive right now. How is that possible?"

"You brought him back to life?" Snape asked.

"No, the Old Religion did it for me. I didn't have to bring him back myself."

"But you've done it before, right?" Hermione asked. She was begging to become more nervous about the power in which he held. She knew it was silly of her to do so, but she hadn't had the time to really think about what power his true identity held. She also was having difficulty grasping the fact that someone looking so young could possess the power that was quite literally legendary.

"No one should have the power over life and death," Lupin said.

"Yeah, well, if I didn't, your best friend wouldn't be sitting next to you right now," Michael said angrily.

Hermione saw both Lupin and Sirius stiffen.

"You were the old man." Sirius spoke in a whisper, but since it was so quiet in the room, Hermione was sure that everyone could hear it.

Michael didn't answer.

"What do you mean?" Kingsley asked.

"Back when we were in the Department of Mysteries, I fell through the veil. I died, but I was brought back. Do you remember me telling you that?"

There was a collective nod of heads.

"When I came back, there was a man there. He was really old looking with white hair and a long beard. He was the one who saved me. He also closed the veil. That was you, wasn't it?"

Michael nodded.

"The veil wasn't even supposed to be there like that. The Old Religion is all about balance. The veil was causing a slight unbalance and you getting thrown into it tipped it further. The Old Religion allowed me to act. I was to close the veil, , but when I found out what happened to you, I couldn't let that stay. I wasn't the only one in the room when I arrived. There was a Death Eater, one of the ones who attacked all of you. He was seriously injured and dying. He wasn't going to make it, and on the off chance that he did, he was just going to be sent to Azkaban, so I used him. The Old Religion just cares about balance. A life for a life."

"You took his life to bring me back. Why?"

"Because life is always so unfair to everyone. Take you for instance. You were framed for killing one of your best friends and his wife. The whole world thought that you were a murderer and threw you in a hell-hole without even a proper trial. After years of that torture, you escaped only to be on practically house arrest here. Then you being killed for trying to protect your godson. I just couldn't."

"Wait, how did you know all of this," Harry said. "And what did you mean by 'the Old Religion allowed you'?"

"I've been alive for hundreds of years. Why do you think that you've never heard of me? I was bound to inactivity. I couldn't do anything unless the Old Religion wanted me to. I am nothing more than a pawn to them. Being the pawn means that I have to know at least some of the game."

"So you both have been watching us," Harry said more as a statement rather than a question.

Michael looked down at his hands, not saying anything.

"Why you?"

Michael left out a humorless laugh. "I don't know. I really don't know." He looked up. "I've asked myself that same question probably more times than the days that you have lived, and I still don't know the answer."

"Okay. Let's take a step back here," Kingsley said, no doubt trying to get control of the situation. "You said that the Old Religion is forcing you to do all of this. The Old Religion hasn't been around for almost two thousand years."

"Like I said: we're older than we look."

"So you know old magic," McGonagall said.

"I grew up with it."

"The Old Religion fell around the time that Camelot fell, so that implies that you two were alive during the time of Camelot," Hermione said, trying to steer the conversation towards them saying their identity. She needed to know if what she and Ginny found were correct. A glance at her, told Hermione that she also really wanted to know.

"We were."

"The lady that was here before, the Cailleach, she said that you knew the person that Voldemort rose, Nimueh. You killed her."

"Yes."

"How many people have you killed because it is sounding like a whole lot to me at the rate this is going," Ron said.

"I've killed more people than I would every care to admit, but I had to. I had to kill her. My duty was to protect Arthur's life. Yes, Arthur Pendragon. I did something to save his life, but as you know the Old Religion needs a life for a life, and they don't care who's it is. I went through Nimueh to do this. I knew that she was not a good person, she had tried to kill both me and Arthur before, but I was desperate. I offered my life in exchange for his, but she instead went after the people that I care about. In the end, it was her life that was given."

"You knew King Arthur! What was he like?" Ron asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. _If only Ron knew._

"A prat."

"What?' Ron said.

"Yup, a prat and a real dollophead at that."

Alden whacked him on the back of the head, and Hermione suppressed a laugh.

"Yeah," he said," well, Merlin was a great big clumsy idiot."

"You knew The Merlin!" Ron said, trying to hold back his extreme excitement beside Hermione.

"You could say that."

* * *

A million things were running through Harry's head. Michael and Alden weren't their real names. They were just identities that they had created. They also were extremely older than they appeared and were forced to be immortal by the Old Religion, who just happened to have them spy on him and all of his friends. They also appeared to be insanely powerful. It was a lot to take in.

"How powerful are you two?" Harry asked.

"We both learned magic when the Old Religion was at its peak, so we have old magic. Old magic is inherently more powerful than the new magic people use today," the one posing as Alden said.

"And Michael is obviously more powerful than you," Hermione said.

Harry gave her a sideways glance. Clearly she knew what was going on. His eyes flicked over to Ginny, who was still staring wide eyed at the two seated at the other end of the table. _What did they know?_

"This is true," Michael said, looking uncomfortable.

"Is anyone else having difficulty believing this?" Lupin asked.

"Why would they lie?" Mrs. Weasley said.

"They've been lying to us the entire time we've known them."

"What happened to you believing that they were good despite their secrets," Sirius asked.

"That was before all of this happened."

"What if he proved it?" Hermione asked suddenly. "If they were really born back then and learned old magic, then they can perform it."

"Old magic is very different from new magic," Snape said. "You don't use a wand, and the spells aren't Latin based. That should be enough proof."

Harry looked back and forth between Snape and Lupin. He could sense the tension between the two, and he wasn't sure who to side with. At the moment he was leaning more towards Lupin.

"Alright. Let's see it then," Lupin said.

Alden nudged Michael who looked around the table warily.

"Nervous?" Lupin asked.

"I've been hiding my magic and my identity since before I could even talk to protect my life. Now I'm told to perform magic while I divulge my secrets to a large group of people who won't hesitate to curse me the moment I show any signs of being a traitor. You tell me," Michael said dangerously.

Harry leaned back in his chair, feeling a wave of guilt over him. He wasn't even thinking about how it was for him. Harry was too focused on the fact that he was keeping secrets. He slowly felt himself swaying towards Snape's side.

Michael slowly cupped his hands together and brought them in front of his mouth.

"_Forbearnan_," he said never breaking eye contact with Lupin.

Harry wasn't the only one to gasp when Michael's eyes flashed gold. He brought his hands down and opened them to reveal a small flame burning in him palm. After holding it for everyone to see for a few seconds, he closed his hand, extinguishing the flame.

"Is that proof enough?"

Lupin nodded speechless.

"That was incredible," Ron exclaimed.

Harry couldn't help but feel impressed himself.

"That was old magic?" Harry asked, even though he already knew the answer.

It was Michael's turn to nod.

"So, you have been telling the truth," Kingsley said.

Michael nodded again.

"You both were born almost two thousand years ago, know old magic, and know a lot more about us and the current situation with Voldemort," Kingsley summarized. "I think all that is left to tell is what are your real names, and what were you doing earlier tonight."

* * *

Merlin looked down at him hands, the same hands that held a magic fire only moments ago. His resolve to tell them who he really was had been slowly diminishing since this whole conversation had started. He was so used to lying about who he really was that telling the truth just seemed wrong now. He came this far now, though, and he needed to continue.

They seemed to be somewhat accepting so far. They believed him about his and Arthur's immortality and long life somewhat, and there was now no denying about his ability to use old magic. Getting them to believe those things were miracles in themselves, but this next bit of information was going to be more of a challenge. He couldn't be sure how they would react or if they would believe him at all.

"Snape," Merlin said looking at the man, "you know who we really are. Do you have any doubt about if it is true."

The look in the potions master's eyes told Merlin that he knew exactly what he was doing.

"I believe it completely," he replied.

Merlin gave him a nod before directing his attention to Hermione.

"You obviously looked up the name 'Emrys'. You know the meaning of the name, and I believe that you know what other names accompany it, correct?"

"Yes," she said in a small but somehow strong voice.

"Do you think that it is possible to be that man?"

The warlock saw her hesitate, but she eventually gave him a small nod.

"What about you, Ginny," he said. "You obviously found out the same time a Hermione. Do you believe?"

"Yes," she said quickly and assertively.

"Will you just tell us your name," Kingsley said.

"Emrys is one of my names like I said. The Druids knew me by that name as well as other magical beings and creatures, but that was not the name most people knew me by. It wasn't the name that I grew up being called and isn't the name I was remembered by. I am completely confident that you know me by the name that my mother gave me. Before I tell it to you though, I want to say that not everything that you have heard about me is true."

Merlin looked round assessing his audience. They were all listening intently to what he was saying. He took a deep breath.

"My real name is Merlin, and yes, I mean that Merlin."

The warlock closed his eyes and dropped his head. He didn't need to see their faces to know that they were in complete shock. The various gasps told him perfectly. When he did open his eyes, he almost burst out laughing. Both Sirius and Lupin looked like fish out of the water. Strangely, the sight of the others made him even more happier. It was probably due to the stress he was feeling, but it put him in a better mood, giving him the courage to continue talking.

"If it makes you feel any better, this prat is actually Arthur Pendragon," he said pointing to the man sitting next to him.

"Thanks for that," Arthur said, his words dripping in sarcasm.

"Your welcome," he quipped back with a cheeky smile.

"Idiot."

"Dollophead."

"Buffoon."

"Ass."

"Clotpole."

"Hey, that's my word!"

"Not anymore!"

"Can we get back to the matter at hand," Snape cut in.

* * *

Snape watched in disbelief at the two bickering boys. Not even a minute after dropping an bombshell such as that onto the rest of the room's occupants, they'd turned to calling each other names. After the two finally shut up, he focused on the others, who seemed to be having difficulty processing the information. Granger was doing to best out of all of them, although, she had prior knowledge. She was always a smart one. The same went with the Weasley girl.

"That's impossible," Lupin said, stunned.

"You know, after being around for so long, I've learned that the idea of impossibility is based solely on what one knows which means that different people believe that different things are impossible. Perform a spell in front of a Muggle and they will say that magic is impossible. Give a wizard a computer and they will say that the contraption is impossible. Tell a teenager that he has a destiny to help a prince become the greatest King to rule... he will say it is impossible."

The room fell in silence, and Snape sat impressed.

"I always thought Merlin was supposed to be some old guy," Ron said, breaking the tension.

Merlin laughed.

"Actually, I am a year younger than Arthur."

"Then why does history says you were so old?" Hermione asked.

Snape leaned forward to hear the answer. It was one thing that he had yet to ask, and now he was curious as to the answer.

* * *

"When I arrived in Camelot, Arthur's father Uther Pendragon was the King. He banned magic, and to have any connection with it was punishable by death. My destiny was to protect Arthur, and in doing so, I would sometimes need to publicly use magic. I created a disguise so no one would know that I was a sorcerer. I used that same disguise that night in the Ministry of Magic. Your history has remembered my appearance as my Dragoon disguise."

"Dragoon?" Harry asked, obviously trying to hold back a laugh.

"When I was caught, I had to think of a name quickly. Dragoon the Great was the first thing that popped into my mind!" Merlin said defensively, causing the other teens to laugh.

Snape couldn't help but feel relieved that this was going so well. He just hoped that it would continue this way.

Harry laughed along with the others over Michael's — no Merlin's — poor choice in an undercover name, but not all of his heart was into the laugh. He couldn't stop thinking about what it meant to have The Merlin here and on his side.

"If you are actually The Merlin," Harry said, "then that means that you're powerful enough to get rid of Voldemort easily, right?"

Harry extremely hoped that he agreed. After the battle, Harry was having extreme doubts on whether or not he could actually defeat Voldemort, but if Merlin was here, he wouldn't have to, Merlin could defeat Voldemort for him. His hope in that was immediately crushed by the look on Merlin face.

"I'm sorry, but I can't," he said, causing the hope that Harry felt before to turn into anger.

"Why not!? That why you are here, right?"

"No, it's not. It is your destiny to defeat Voldemort, not mine. I can help you, but ultimately it is up to you."

"Then why are you even here!"

"To aid you in your destiny and deal with Nimueh," Arthur said.

Harry forcefully pushed back his chair and got up to leave the room. He knew that it wasn't fair to Merlin and Arthur to be mad at them, but he couldn't help it. He was angry at them, the world, his life. The list went on. He retreated to an upstairs bedroom to blow off some steam and clear his head.

* * *

**I hoped that you liked this chapter. Please leave me a review. Also, just out of curiosity, I created a new poll. I wanted to see how many people would be in what Hogwarts house. You can find the poll on my bio page. Please feel free to vote. I'm looking forward to the results.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**

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**Forbearnan - to conjure a flame**

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**Updated: 3/2/15**


	27. Chapter 27: Meeting at the Burrow

**Replies to Reviews:**

**FateOfChaos: I'm glad that you thought I captured Merlin and Arthur perfectly and that you like Ron. He's always struck me as the fangirling type. I can agree with you on Harry, but I felt that it fit with his character, so that is why I ended the scene that way.**

**Guest 1: I hope that this was fast enough. I will try to have the next chapter out sooner. Thanks for letting me know how much you like my story!**

**Patiku: Yeah, I wanted to try to do something different from some of the other Merlin and Harry Potter crossovers that I have read before. Also, I am saving another surprise for when the battle against Nimueh occurs.**

**mokona-pyuh: You are very correct in assuming that Merlin and Arthur will not be telling anyone about what the deal with the Cailleach included. I hope that you like this chapter!**

**ILikeHotDogs: Don't worry! I will try to put some epic action in the next couple of chapters after this one.**

**Guest 2: Yeah, I know. But, hey, I'm in college for engineering and my classes are very difficult and time consuming. I will try to keep the time span in between my future chapters to a minimum, though.**

**monkeygirl77: The knights won't really be returning in this fic, but I am thinking about giving them some sort of guest appearance. You'll just have to wait and see...**

**Female whovian: I'm thrilled that you loved the way that I did it! Thank you!**

**Coolestbee: I'm not going to have Harry or any of the others learn old magic. There is a possibility of him learning about the advantages of a sword, though...**

**Teekalin: I've never liked the idea of people fainting either. For Harry, I'm trying to keep all the characters as canon as possible. He's always seemed to have a bit of a temper, so I put that in there hoping that it fit. He will calm down, though.**

**Airin9: I am happy that you liked it! I felt like that scene needed a little humor in it, so I'm glad that it worked out. Thanks for taking my poll! As for what my house would be, I've always considered myself as a Ravenclaw, and Pottermore agrees with me.**

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**Beta Reader: les-revolutionnaires**

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The next few weeks passed incredibly slowly for Merlin. Tension and fear laced the air in the hallway that he walked down. After Samhain, he and Arthur went back to Hogwarts. Even though they revealed their true identity to Harry and the others, not all of the Order knew and certainly no one outside the Order knew. Therefore, they returned to keep up appearances. Although Kingsley was unhappy about the their deception, he strongly suggested to not let anyone else know about them. That way when they did confront Voldemort, they would have surprise on their side.

Merlin was unsure of his plan, though. With the crystal and Nimueh in his control, he would know all about them before they ever got a chance to get close enough to him to do any harm. It appeared that he didn't know about them yet which gave him some hope. He and Arthur were trying to keep their heads down even more to ensure that it stayed that way.

Right now, Voldemort was using the fear tactic. There were attacks almost every other day. Thankfully there wasn't as much death as there was destruction. To Merlin, the attacks were all designed to strike fear into the masses, and it was working. The Warlock looked around at the various faces that occupied the hallway, each one with signs of distress and uneasiness. Some were better at hiding it than others, but it even showed on the professors.

Merlin was appalled at this. They were children. Children shouldn't have to fear for their lives. They should be happy and carefree. Merlin himself knew what it was like to grow up in constant fear. No matter how happy he was, there was always that tiny sliver of fear deep inside him. For him, it was fear of being exposed for having magic. He did not wish that feeling of fear on anyone, let alone innocent kids.

He knew that they couldn't help it, though. Just like it was when he was a kid, it was beyond their control. Something big would have to happen to make the world an environment where they wouldn't have to be fearful, and that was exactly what he, Arthur, and the Order were trying to do. It wasn't an easy task by any means.

As soon as an attack was reported to be happening, the Order and some trustworthy Aurors rushed to combat the Death Eaters, but the other side almost always had the upper hand. Merlin didn't know if it was due to Nimueh looking into the future before hand or using it to spy on the Order when they prepare to counter attack and informing the Death Eaters of their plans. Whatever she was doing, it made them nearly untouchable.

Merlin sighed and he slipped into a seat in the potions classroom. He really wasn't in the mood to be sitting in class at the moment, but he knew that he had to. He briefly looked up when Harry took the seat next to him. The boy gave him a small smile. After his initial explosion on Samhain, Harry calmed down considerably and turned out to be quite understanding. Merlin knew that he still wasn't happy, but he also knew that Harry no longer blamed him. They actually got along pretty well. They could relate to one another on the whole having their lives controlled by destinies and prophecies thing.

Throughout the class, Merlin's brain was on autopilot. The potion that was assigned, though very difficult to the other students, was nothing to him. He had made the potion so many times before that he was fairly certain that he could make it in his sleep.

It was because Merlin wasn't really focused on anything, that the sudden voice in his head took his completely off guard.

'Merlin,' the voice said, causing him to jump.

'Yes, Kilgharrah?'

'Aithusa and I think that we have a lead on Tom Riddle.'

'How good of a lead is it?'

'Very.'

Merlin absent-mindedly nodded his head and he thought. He was very curious about the lead and wanted to know more, but he had promised to keep Kingsley in the loop about everything. He and the others might as well be present to hear whatever Kilgharrah and Aithusa found. It would also probably be a good time to actually tell Kingsley and the others about the two dragons. Neither Merlin nor Arthur had yet to mention the dragons who were aiding in the search of Voldemort's hiding place.

'Then we better wait and get the Order together. Tomorrow is Saturday. Do you think that we could set up a meeting?' the Warlock asked.

'Gladly.'

* * *

Harry immediacy noticed when Merlin jumped beside him. He had appeared distracted all throughout class, but now he was attentively focused on something. What it was, Harry didn't know. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Merlin began to nod, a thoughtful expression on his face. Now Harry was really curious.

When class was coming to an end, Merlin turned to Harry.

"I want you to get the others and go to McGonagall's office in half an hour," he said.

"Okay," Harry replied, knowing exactly who who he was referring to.

As soon as class was over, Merlin seemed to disappear. Harry wasn't surprised to see that Arthur was no where to be found as well. Harry quickly packed up his things and went to work finding the people that Merlin wanted. Ron, Hermione, and Neville were the easiest to find since they all attended the same potions class. He also found Ginny and Luna together which made things easier on him. They all made it to McGonagall's office with five minutes to spare.

Harry was the first to walk in and saw that Merlin and Arthur were already there. Snape was also present.

"Now that we are all here," McGonagall said, "what is the urgent information that you need to share?"

"I've got a lead on Voldemort," Merlin said.

"How?" Hermione asked shocked.

"Well technically I don't have it. Some friends of mine found it. I don't know what it is yet, but I was wondering if we could set up a meeting tomorrow with some of the other Order members. That way they can come and tell us all at the same time."

"You have friends?" Ron asked, receiving an elbow in the ribs from Hermione. "I didn't mean that you shouldn't. I just didn't know that you really knew anyone outside of us that well," he quickly amended.

"Sure," Arthur said sarcastically.

"Who are these friends of yours?" McGonagall asked.

"Their names are Kilgharrah and Aithusa, and I trust them with my life. They've actually been helping for some time now. Right Snape?"

"I recall you saying that they were helping you on Halloween by watching some places that were possibilities on where the Dark Lord may have gone. I have never actually meet either of them, though," Snape said.

Harry began to wonder who these mysterious friends were. He was a little put off by their different names, but shrugged it off. He had meet people with weirder ones. Harry found it interesting that Snape didn't know who these people were. He had assumed that the professor knew almost all that was important with Merlin and Arthur. Apparently he had assumed wrong.

"I don't know why we wouldn't be able to set up a meeting tomorrow, I suppose. I will contact Kingsley and tell him to set it up a the Grimmauld Place for tomorrow."

"No," said Merlin. "We, err... need somewhere that has a large outside space where no one can easily spy on."

"Why?"

"Trust us," Arthur said trying to hold back a smile. "You'll understand tomorrow."

McGonagall looked hesitant at first but eventually relented.

"Do you think that your parents would mind using your house Mister and Miss Weasley," she said to Ron and Ginny.

"I think that they would be fine with it," Ron said confused.

Harry was confused as well. He kept trying to come up with a plausible reason as to why a large outdoor space was needed but couldn't come up with one.

"Okay," McGonagall said. "I'll contact Kingsley and let all of you know later what time to come back here tomorrow."

Everyone but Snape and McGonagall left the office and Merlin and Arthur disappeared again.

"What do you reckon they need the space for?" Neville asked.

"Maybe they have large friends," Luna replied in her usual dreamy voice.

"What? Like Giants?" Ron said, obviously not buying it.

Harry looked around at everyone, studying their faces. His eyes landed on Hermione who was frowning.

"What is it Hermione?"

"It's just that they both made it seem like there was no one else out there that knew who they are truly. Now all of a sudden they have two friends that are at least close enough to help them by looking for information on Voldemort. I don't understand."

"Maybe they don't really know who they are," Ginny suggested.

"I don't think so," Harry said. "I think that they know exactly who they are friends with. There is something we're missing, though. Did anyone of you see how Arthur was trying not to laugh?"

There was a collective nod of the heads.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see tomorrow," Hermione said.

* * *

"Do you think that we should have told them what Kilgharrah and Aithusa are," Merlin asked Arthur. They had quickly made themselves scarce after talking with McGonagall. They didn't really want to stick around from the inevitable large number of questions that would surely come from all of the teenagers.

Arthur let the smile that he was holding back in the office show fully.

"Nah, it will be fine. I'm actually looking forward to seeing their faces when everyone finally sees them," he said with a laugh.

* * *

Right after lunch, Hermione and the others found themselves back in McGonagall's office, and they took turns flooing to the Burrow.

Hermione was one of the last ones to go through and stumbled into a room filled with people. Sirius helped her steady herself. She gave him a quick thank you before walking further into the room. All of the Weasleys were in attendance. Ginny and Fleur were standing off to the side cooing over Teddy, who Tonks and Lupin brought with them. Hermione couldn't help but walk over and look at the cute little baby.

"I think that we are all here now," Kingsley said once McGonagall came through the fireplace. Hermione looked around. Everyone standing here were to only ones who knew the truth about Merlin and Arthur.

"When are we going to be meeting these friends of yours?" he said to Merlin and Arthur.

"I can call them as soon as we are all outside, if that if alright with you," Merlin replied.

Kingsley gestured for them to lead the way, and everyone filed outside behind him. Hermione noted the confused look on many of their faces. She even heard Ron mutter something about how they were supposed to 'call' these people.

A few minutes later Hermione and the others were all standing outside in a half arc around Merlin and Arthur.

"Okay, before I call them," Merlin said looking a bit sheepish," I know that this is going to be a big shock, but you're just going to have to remain calm. Know that neither of them will hurt you as long as I am here."

Hermione wasn't sure how to respond to this, so she just stood there, not saying anything. No one said anything. Merlin seemed to take that as a sign to continue. He turned around, tilted his head back, and yelled up to the skies.

"_O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd 'hup' anankes!_"

When he was finished, Merlin turned back around and clapped his hands together. "Alright, they should be here soon."

"What was that?" Sirius asked.

"Just something to get my friends to come here."

"No seriously, what was that?"

Arthur let out a laugh. "If you think that was something, just wait until they come."

Sirius opened up his mouth to speak again but closed it when the sound of giant flapping wings filled the air. The next thing Hermione saw was two very large dragon soar above the house and land beside Merlin. Everyone's reaction was immediate. Some swore and jumped to take cover while other took up defensive positions. Hermione was one of the latter.

"I said for you all to remain calm and that they wouldn't hurt you," Merlin said.

"These are you're friends?" Kingsley asked incredulously.

Arthur was now bent over laughing very hard.

"Everyone, this is Kilgharrah and Aithusa," he said pointing to the large gray dragon and the smaller white dragon respectively.

"Greetings everyone," Kilgharrah said, shocking everyone even more.

"He talks!" Charlie said excitedly.

"Indeed I do."

"How is this possible? I have never known a dragon to talk before."

"I am a Great Dragon. All Great Dragons can talk. The dragons that you are familiar with are just mere mutts."

"I thought that Great Dragons were long extinct," Hermione said remembering what she read from a book.

"We were almost entirely wiped out during the purge back in the days of Camelot. For a long time, I was the last of my kind. That was until Merlin here hatched Aithusa."

"But that means you are thousands of years old! No offence or anything, but how are you still alive. A dragons life span is long but no where near that long."

"I shouldn't be alive. While a Great Dragon's life is much longer than dragons of today, I was nearing the end of my time when I met Merlin and Arthur. It makes sense for Aithusa to still be alive, but not me."

"We suspect that he was sort of roped into the immortality thing along with me and Arthur since he was there when I made the deal," Merlin explained. "Anyway, what lead did you find?"

"We believe we found the place that Tom Riddle and Nimueh are hiding," Aithusa said.

"Where?" Arthur asked.

"Just outside of a small town many miles south of here. There is some sort of anti-detection charm surrounding it, but we easily saw through it," she said with a huff. Hermione got the feeling that Aithusa felt like she was much better than those who cast the charm, and she felt compelled to agree with her.

"How are you certain that he is staying there?" Kingsley asked.

"We both detected old magic when passing by. There is definitely someone in the manor using old magic in there. Since it is not either Merlin or Arthur, then the only possible person it could be is Nimueh," Kilgharrah said.

"And Voldemort wouldn't want to stray too far from her," Merlin said, continuing the Great Dragon's reasoning.

"Precisely."

"So," Merlin said looking around at everyone. "Who's ready to take on Voldemort?"

* * *

**Please leave me a review telling me what you think about this chapter or the overall story so far! I love reading what you all say!**

**Also, my poll is still up, so if you haven't voted and want to do so, you still can. My house, Ravenclaw, is in the lead so far!**

**Thanks for reading.**

**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**


	28. Chapter 28: Voldemort's House

**Replies to Reviews:**

**Patiku: Thanks! Here's the next chapter!**

**LilithIdris: I'm glad that you liked the introduction of the dragons. Both spellings 'gray' and 'grey' are correct. The one that I used is the most popular in America, which is where I live, so that is why I used it.**

**Teekalin: I say, if you want to be apart of Ravenclaw, then that is the house that you would be in. I like to believe that the Sorting Hat takes your preference into consideration. I mean, just look at Harry's sorting. Anyway, I am happy that you liked the dragons and thought my explanation for Kilgharrah was good.**

**ILikeHotDogs: I agree. Merlin is very unlucky.**

**Airin9: Thanks! Here's more!**

**Female whovian : Thank you!**

**fastreader12: Yay Ravenclaw!**

**Yuki F. Karasu: I am really glad that you like my story and my humor too!**

**Coolestbee: Thank you so much! I'm happy that you liked my introduction for the dragons.**

**WhistlingWolf: Haha! Yeah, I agree! **

**thejammysod: Yes, they will!**

**Guest March 27: The end is soon, so you'll find out not that long from now.**

**Guest April 29: I am super happy that you like it!**

**CrackedCrow: I'm really pleased to know that you like it so much! And thank you for thinking that I am a good writer. Yes, I am in college. I'm going to be in my second year and just went though a really rough time not only completely changing my major but transferring to another university as well. Also, I am glad to know that I have a good opinion from a Slytherin. Thanks!**

**Guest May 27: It wasn't really soon, but here's an update!**

**Kirazalea: I take that as a huge complement that you love how I reasoned out everything and that it doesn't feel forced. Thank you!**

**01beirke: Updated!**

**ValahenValarion: Oh my gosh, thank you! It took me a while, but I am now able to continue. I'm sorry for making you and everyone else wait so long.**

**caliactress: Don't worry! I'm not stopping! And thank you so much for having such a high opinion of my story!**

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**Author's Note:**

**So, I'm back from my really long and unexpected hiatus. Sorry about that, but life gets in the way... a lot. There are only two more chapters after this one! After that, it's all finished, so I hope that you have liked this story!**

**Beta Reader: ****les-revolutionnaires (previously HobbitDetectiveOfRavenclaw)**

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Arthur crouched down in the bush, one hand checking to make sure his wand was secured up the sleeve of his shirt and the other resting on the hilt of the blade resting on his hip.

"Why do you have a sword?" Harry, who was crouching beside him, asked with one eyebrow raised.

"The sword was the first weapon that I have learned to use. It is what I am the best at using, and a knight never goes into battle without his best weapon," Arthur stated.

"Okay, I can understand that, but was exactly is a sword going to do against Voldemort. I don't think attacking him with a sword is going to defeat him."

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Merlin said, suddenly appearing next to Harry, causing the boy to jump. "You've heard about Morgana, right?"

"Um, yeah. She was pretty powerful like you, only evil."

Arthur saw a brief grimace flash across Merlin's face before it quickly disappeared. He couldn't help but do the same.

"So you agree that she is pretty powerful then."

"Yes."

"Well, she wasn't taken down by some all powerful spell or anything like that. I defeated her with a blade. That one right there to be exact," Merlin said pointing at Arthur blade tucked in his belt.

Harry's face took on a look of disbelief, and Arthur forced a grin from appearing on his face.

"You're joking, right," he said.

"No, I am not. And remember, we may have magic, but that is not all that we can wield. Never underestimate the more mundane things in life. They too have enough power to save your life as well as aid in your downfall. That is one thing that Voldemort refuses to understand."

Harry seemed taken aback from Merlin's words. They were filled with the truth that many usually forget about, especially wizards who rely so heavily on magical objects that they pay no mind to the simpler things. It was one of the many downfalls that the magical community suffered when they withdrew from the rest of the world.

"It's about time to move, so you both should get ready," Merlin said before disappearing once more.

Arthur took out his wand and focused his attention on the house they were targeting. Nimueh was in there, and Voldemort should be there too. The plan was simple in theory, but carrying it out was going to be difficult. They had a relatively small group to attack with and no idea what the house was like on the inside or what sort of dangers it contained. The plan was for Merlin to first break all of its wards. The second that was done, everyone should apparate right next to the house. After that, Merlin would create an anti-apparation ward to prevent any of the Death Eaters or Voldemort from escaping easily. The ward wouldn't prevent Nimueh from leaving, though.

Arthur stopped himself from beginning to worry and instead began preparing for battle. He heard a sound prompting him to stick his head up over at the bush he was hiding behind and look up at the house. The wards were visible, a colorful dome encircling the brick house. A spiderweb of cracks quickly spread across the colors until the whole thing shattered into oblivion.

Seeing that the wards were gone, Arthur quickly apparated himself to be standing next the brick wall, Harry apparating right next to him. Others soon appeared near him as well, and he knew that there were more all around the manor.

Wasting no time, Arthur charged through the front door. With a flick of his wand, the doors blasted open, allowing entrance to him and the others following close behind. It wasn't long before he came across the first Death Eater, and the battle commenced.

Arthur stuck to his wand and using only spells that would disarm and incapacitate. They weren't here to kill any of the Death Eaters. The followers could just rot in Azkaban. Voldemort was the only target here with a death warrant on him. Arthur felt bad that it had to be Harry to carry out that sentence, but he knew it was the only way. Nimueh was also another one to have that same penalty.

Arthur made his way from one room to the other, throwing spells at any enemy that he came across. He left unconscious and bound Death Eaters in his wake. He hit a snag when he rounded a corner only to be hit with an 'expelliarmus' spell. He was thrown backwards while his wand flew across the room. His head impacted with a wall hard, leaving his vision impaired. He started blinking fast and tried to rub his eyes in a desperate attempt to bring the blurred figure that was approaching him back into focus.

Just as soon as he could see again, the man was right in front of him pointing a wand at his head. Wasting no time, Arthur kicked the man's legs out from underneath him and knocked the wand of of his hand as he fell. Both of them scrambled to their feet and faced each other with no wand to fight with. Arthur got into his fighting stance, while then other man tried to make himself look menacing. Arthur almost laughed. The man clearly had no training in any sort of defense or fighting without his wand. That was another thing most magical people lacked: the ability to defend without the aid of a wand.

Arthur dodged the poorly executed punch with ease and quickly delivered his own to the man's stomach, casuing in the man to bend over, clutching his midsection. He then quickly kneed the bent over man's face causing his to rise back up, only to receive a strong right-hook, knocking him out.

Arthur though it was shameful how easily he took that man down with just his fists. Sighing, he bent down a picked up his wand that was knocked out of his hand earlier. He cast a quick spell to tie the man up, lest he re-awoke, and continued on.

Pretty soon the whole house was cleared of all threats, but Voldemort was a no show.

"I thought he was supposed to be here!" Harry said angrily as he paced back and forth.

"No, it Nimueh who we knew that had to be here. He just figured that Voldemort would be here as well," Hermione said. "Obliviously, we thought wrong."

"Speaking of which, where is Nimueh?" Ron asked.

Arthur cast a glance around at all of the confused faces when something struck him.

"A better question would be 'were is Merlin?'" he said.

* * *

As soon as he finished creating the ward, Merlin ran as fast as he could towards the house and into the first doorway that he saw.

Upon entering, he soon heard the sounds of fighting. He quickly closed his eyes and blocked out the noise. He focused on trying to find both Nimueh and the crystal. He let his magic out to search the house for other old magic. After a moment, he felt a tug. His eyes snapped open, and he raced away, following its direction. He found a staircase and ran up to the second floor. He followed it down many hallways until he stopped in front of a door. Taking a deep breath, he opened it and cautiously stepped through.

Merlin sensed the spell before it came. He quickly ducked and rolled further into the room as the ball of fire zoomed through where he was previously standing.

"Hello, Merlin."

Merlin could practically hear the smirk in her voice as he stood back up.

"I thought that you would have tried to do something a bit more creative the second time around," he said. "I'm disappointed really."

Nimueh's smirk only grew larger with his words.

Merlin suppressed a flinch when her eyes turned gold and the door slammed shut, locking. His eyes quickly darted around to scan the room before settling back on her face.

The room was empty except for the small table in the middle in which the crystal laid atop. There was only one door, the one he came in, but he had no plans of retreat.

"I've been wondering how much longer it was going to be before you showed up," she said as she slowly began walking to her right. "It took you so long to find me."

"You knew we were coming?" he asked, mirroring her motions and started to walk too.

"With the crystal I knew about everything you've been doing," she replied.

Merlin thought about this for a moment as they continued to circle one another, always keeping the table in-between them.

"If you knew we were coming, then why are you still here?"

"Where would the fun be if I left?"

"You warned Voldemort though. He isn't here."

"Voldemort not being here isn't of my doing. He left weeks ago on his own choice without any recommendation from me."

"He left without you?"

"The fool believed this place to be more secure than where he was headed."

"And where is that?" Merlin asked not expecting an answer. He was incredibly surprise when she did give an answer.

"He went to some village next to the school. He going to try to conquer it again. The place is called Hogs something, I believe."

"Hogsmeade?"

"Yes, that is the place."

"Why are you telling me all this?" he asked stopping, making her stop walking as well.

"Why shouldn't I? I have no loyalty to Tom Riddle. I am nothing but a slave to him, forced to so as he wishes. I did not ask to be yanked back into the world of the living only to be bound to him."

Merlin frowned. He didn't really think about Nimueh not wanting to be back.

"So you're going to join our side?" he asked. He knew that just because Nimueh didn't like Riddle it didn't mean that he was going to fight against him. He didn't let himself be hopeful about that. He needed to ask anyway, though.

"Don't be daft, Merlin. Just because I despise Riddle, doesn't mean that I am going to make this easy on you. Besides, I have no choice in the matter. I have to serve him whether I wish to or not. It's the price of him being the one to raise me."

Merlin frown deepened. Whatever ritual Riddle did forced Nimueh to do as he wishes, but she isn't completely obeying. Somehow she is able to indirectly disobey him.

"See you around, Merlin," she said before repeating the spell to transport herself away.

Merlin didn't even try to stop her. It would be useless to, and he knew where she was going anyway. His eyes cast towards the table, and a smile ghosted across his lips. She left the crystal. He walked over a gingery picked up the crystal, surveying it. He doubted that Nimueh was playing any tricks, but he wanted to be sure. Just as he concluded that nothing was amiss, the door burst open, Arthur, Harry, and the others stumbling in.

"I'm glad that you could make it, but I hate to inform you that the party is over," Merlin said.

* * *

Harry ran through the threshold of the now unlocked door with Arthur in front of him and the others on his heel. Everyone including him had their wands drawn expecting danger, but what they found was shocking.

Merlin was standing alone in the room holding a crystal and was displaying no signs of distress. Harry moved around the room making sure that there were no threats while Ron and Hermione did the same, and Arthur moved to Merlin.

"That wouldn't be the crystal that Voldemort stole would it?" Harry heard Arthur ask.

"The very one," Merlin replied, holding it up.

Satisfied that the room was safe, Harry lowered his wand and walked over to the pair.

"How do you have it?" he asked.

"Nimueh left it behind after our little chat," the Warlock said simply.

"She was here and you let her get away?!"

"Yes, and you should know that Voldemort has control over her against her will. Her leaving the crystal behind proves just how much she is against the man."

"Why would she be against him?" Hermione asked. "From what I read about her, I would think that she would fight with him."

"Nimueh isn't one to really follow any one person. The fact that Voldemort is forcing her puts him higher up one the hate list than say me or Arthur."

"I still don't understand why you let her go," Harry said, slightly angered.

"I know where she is going, and I highly doubt that she will tip off Voldemort."

Harry had trouble believe this, but he nodded his head anyway. Merlin knew Nimueh better than he did, and Harry trusted him. If Merlin thought the she would keep quiet, then Harry wouldn't doubt him. He wasn't particularly happy about it, though.

"Where is he going?" Ron asked.

"Voldemort has plans to attempt to take over Hogwarts again. Whether it's for pride, or to display the amount of power he has to instill more fear in the magical community, I don't know. He will attack though, and soon. I say we attack him first and catch him off guard and before his forces are ready. Who's up for a trip to Hogsmeade?"

* * *

Nimueh strode into the room unannounced and uncaring that she didn't ask for permission before coming in. Actually she smirked a little knowing that it would irritate the man. She came to a halt in front of the seated Dark Lord.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed.

"The house that you had me in was found and ambushed," she said in a bored voice as she elegantly sat down in the chair opposite of him.

"How could it have been ambushed without you knowing prior with the crystal?" he asked, glaring at her.

"I can't see everything with the crystal," she replied, meeting his eyes easily.

"And where is the crystal and the others that I had staying there?"

"Captured. You should really employ better fighters," she said setting him off.

"You left the crystal behind!"

"It wasn't by choice. You should just be happy that I myself made it out"

"Without out the crystal, what use do I have of you?" he snapped.

"Oh, don't be like that, you know very well that I am a skilled sorceress and more powerful than you or any of you pathetic followers."

"I am your master! I have control over you and your magic."

Nimueh smirked again, but this time it was more forced. She loathed the truth in his words.

"The loss of the crystal will not change my plans," he continued. "They have no way of using the crystal and the rest of my followers will be here soon. We will attack in three days, you are dismissed."

Nimueh gladly got up and walked out of the room, the door shutting behind her with a flash of her eyes. Riddle believed that he would attack the castle in three days time and be victorious, but Nimueh knew that the battle would be sooner than he thought and he won't be the one doing the attacking.

* * *

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**SuperSherlockedGallifreyan**


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